McGauthaSimoné McGauthaDr. Anne-Marie FoleyOrganization and Job Profile EDIT20 February 2013A. Vision, Mission and Goals of the Organization and Population ServedAt the beginning of the CLIP Servant Leader Internship, I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. As a person who is not that informed about every aspect of politics, I knew that walking into the Capitol building, I would be lost; figuratively speaking and literally. After interviewing with Senator Jason Holsman (D), I knew that I would love my internship. Senator Holsman represents the 7th District of the State of Missouri; roughly the boundaries of the new 7th District are as follows: the district’s northern border is the MissouriRiver, it follows the corridor between State Line Road to Troost Ave. south to I435, at I435 the district breaks east to take in the entirety or Grandview, Longview Lake, and parts of Lee’s Summit with the southern boundary being the Jackson County line. My excitement came because I am from the area he is representing: Troost Ave. Within that area, it is extremely diverse culturally, socially and economically. Closer to State Line, collectively there is a higher average income and the majority of people that make up that community are white republicans. Moving east of the city, we run into a lot lower middle class people who are majority African-American. This makes Senator Holsman’s job difficult. He told me that, “What makes my job difficult is knowing that I am letting so many people down. I can’t please everyone, especially when the people I serve are polar opposites.” 1McGauthaAs an extreme Democrat, which I describe as someone is rarely willing to sacrifice anything that will give the Republicans an upper-hand, Senator Holsman makes decisions thatare more in favor of lower middle class people. He believes that building up poor, will give everyone in the community the opportunity to succeed, whether one is educated, in the middleclass or lower class. The committees he sits on are the: 1. Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy & the Environment 2. Education 3. General Laws 4. Transportation and Infrastructure and 5. Veterans' Affairs and Health. My favorite committee meeting to attend with him is the Education committee meeting. Some controversial issues that are going on in this committee is the fact that two of the largest districts in the state are unaccredited and now the state is trying to figure out what to do with the schools. Right now, a lot of it is up in the air, so hopefully I will be able to talk about it in my first progress report. Some of the issues supported by Senator Holsman include the Holistic Approach, Charter Schools and Don't Say Gay Legislation. One issue that has stood out to me as an educator is the Charter Schools issue. Senator Holsman believes they have a place in the future of education of Missouri’s youth. However, “the lack of oversight and accountability that are currently employed in these institutions can lead to institutions that do not adequately address educational needs” (Holsman’s campaign website). Proper oversight and accountability measures need to be implemented for Charter schools to become a meaningful piece of our state’s educational horizon.I have also noticed Senator Holsman speak very passionately about is the “Don’t Say Gay Legislation.” Senator Holsman has spoken passionately against attempts to outlaw gay-straight alliances in Missouri schools in the 'Don't Say Gay Bill'. He believes that, "All across our nation school children are being bullied and victimized for simply being who they are. 2McGauthaHB2051 would have undermined the progress that our nation and state have made in this area.As a former high school teacher, it is extremely inappropriate to politicize an issue that has led to so many suicides across our country” (Senator Jason Holsman). Lastly, Senator Holsman is fighting for the Holistic Approach; which attempts to correct, “Inadequacies in our state’s approach to K-12 education are failing for several reasons. There are no comprehensive approaches to improving our K-12 system being presented by our elected officials. Instead, solutions are being presented that deal with the symptoms of our failing school districts, rather than underlying causes of why school districts fail. The proposal to eliminate the Kansas City, Mo. School district, and segment the district to surrounding suburbs, is the most telling of these attempts. What is needed is comprehensiveschool reform that incorporates issues that relate to early childhood education programs, poverty and economic development in low-income areas of our communities, hunger, and lack of sufficient public transportation systems” (Holsman’s campaign website).B. My Role Within the OrganizationMy role so far has been to speak to constituents on behalf of Senator Holsman. Since this is his first year in the Senate, he is always busy and rarely has time for constituents who don’t make an appointment to see him. At the beginning of the session, he handed me a huge binder and told me to learn his beliefs in and out. He wanted me to think like him so that when a constituent had a question, I could answer as he would. He expects me to make sure that I am read up on all current events especially in the city of Kansas City. Since his passions(education) are the same as mine, it’s not hard to. I will contribute a hard work ethic and a passion for learning about politics even though I am not knowledgeable about them. Senator Holsman once told me, “Educators make the best politicians.” 3McGauthaC. My Future Learning and ExplorationsI hope to learn about how policies affect school districts around the state; especially with the differences between public, private and charter. One of the things I have learned that has bothered me is the fact that a lot of the people making the laws and policies regarding schools in the state have never been in the classroom. So how exactly can they make laws thatwill affect the entire education system when they have never dealt with the same issues teachers are facing everyday. I would like to enhance my speaking skills and confidence. I tend to get very intimidated around my senator and he notices it, a lot. By learning the ins and outs of politics, I’ll be able to learn how to function as a teacher and possibly superintendent of a local school district. I eventually want to work for the US Department
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