What they're saying…

Excerpts from editorials in Missouri newspapers.

March 30

Jefferson City News-Tribune, on properly releasing information:

During Sunshine Week ... we extolled the virtues of open government.

A local public entity that embraces that concept is the Jefferson City Public School District. ...

The school district reported a middle school student faces possible discipline after bringing a pellet gun to school. The student was described as showing off the gun, and school officials said there was no malicious intent. The student was not identified by name, grade or gender.

The district's timely, factual report of the incident was entirely appropriate.

First, the district is realistic. Officials recognize that in addition to positive news about academic and athletic achievements, problems also are going to occur in a system that brings thousands of young people together in a variety of buildings on a daily basis.

Second, the district recognizes that facts vanquish rumors.

Parents and patrons have an overriding interest in safety issues. With nearly everyone in the schools carrying a cell phone, incidents will be relayed, not always accurately, and rumors will flourish.

The district's recitation of the facts provides a necessary accounting and, in this case, assurance that no threat existed.

The district also properly withheld the identity of the student.

Although journalism's W's begin with who, identifying the student would serve no public purpose.

What is important is that the district's no-tolerance policy on weapons was violated, the student faces discipline and no one was placed in jeopardy.

Other public entities can learn from the school district's philosophy.

We all share an interest in communicating timely, important community information.

March 28

The Kansas City Star, on Gary Forsee's compensation from Sprint:

Talk about eye-popping. Gary Forsee's compensation from Sprint Nextel last year came to a cool $40 million.

And under his severance deal, the former chairman and CEO will receive $84,325 a month for life. That's about $1 million a year.

What's wrong with this picture? Forsee was forced out last October amid mounting displeasure from shareholders and board members. Sprint's merger with Nextel has failed to deliver many of the hoped-for synergies. The company is hemorrhaging customers and its stock price has plummeted by nearly 65 percent since last fall.

As Charles Elson of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance said, ''If you succeed, you should walk away with a lot. If you fail, you shouldn't.''

As part of his contract, Forsee received severance payments that came to $13.5 million for ''termination without cause'' -- in addition to the million-dollar-a-year-for-life payments.

Such excesses lay the groundwork for a backlash, which could take the form of an ill-considered move by Congress to directly regulate executive pay.

A better approach would be to give more power over executive pay to shareholders. If Sprint shareholders had had a greater voice in this, no doubt they would have a different idea about what the top person should receive on his way out.

March 28

St. Joseph News-Press, on Gary Forsee running the University of Missouri system:

There's a lot to like about Gary Forsee, who took over ... as the 22nd president of the University of Missouri.

By all accounts he is intelligent, personable and accomplished. His resume dispels any doubt that this former chairman and CEO of Sprint Nextel is a Missouri native with a special interest in seeing the state and its citizens prosper. He is convincing in declaring, ''I have a passion for education.''

... Now comes the hard work of winning over his constituency.

It's a mixture of academics, donors, athletics boosters, alums, parents and students. It's a cross-section of Missouri, including wage earners, farmers and white-collar professionals. Relatively few owe their jobs or livelihoods to the new man in charge.

This is new territory for Forsee, who earned his stripes as a business executive during years with the nation's top telecommunications firms. He might not have a problem relating to people from different walks of life or on different rungs of the earnings ladder, but you have to wonder whether that goes both ways.

The former CEO resigned from Sprint Nextel under pressure, four years into a tenure that had high points and several low ones. The stock in the company has dropped nearly 65 percent since his departure in October.

And yet, in part because he was skilled in negotiating his employment, Forsee received compensation in 2007 totaling a projected $40 million. ...

... Can this high-profile business executive, with deep Missouri roots and a passion for education, indeed lead the four-campus university system to a new level of excellence?

Can he build support in and outside the Legislature to address perennial money woes, can he smooth over cross-campus jealousies and can he raise performance markedly in comparison to other regional universities?

Given the stakes, we all should wish Forsee great success -- something more on the lines of his personal financial success rather than the fate of his former employer.

March 28

The Joplin Globe, on rights to impound vehicle:

Let's say a husband and wife co-own an automobile. One of them gets stopped for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and ultimately gets his or her license suspended for more than 60 days.

Under a bill that received first-round approval recently in the Senate, that couple would have to get a special license plate with a special series of numbers or letters. It would allow law enforcement to stop the driver of the vehicle at any time to make sure the suspended driver wasn't behind the wheel.

Wait a minute. What happened to the constitutional rights of the innocent person who co-owns the title. That person has done nothing wrong, yet if such a bill passes, he or she wears the same scarlet letter as the guilty party.

We understand the bill targets those who lose their licenses for drunken driving but continue to drive. The legislation is part of a larger transportation bill that also creates a defense for people who run red lights when the traffic signal isn't working and prohibits inserting advertisements into mailings about renewing license plates. We have no problem with those provisions.

But the special plate crosses the line. We support the efforts of Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, who is trying to remove the provision from the transportation bill because she feels it steps on the rights of individuals.

She's absolutely on target.

This scarlet-letter legislation should make the public see red.