Legislature revives open enrollment effort for schools
Feb. 2—After years of trying, lawmakers are making another attempt to break down rules that require most students to attend the school district wherein they reside.
Passed on Wednesday by a vote of 86-73, House Bill 1989 would hypothetically permit students in St. Joseph to attend one of the neighboring districts like Savannah R-III or Mid-Buchanan R-V, if those districts agree to accept them. No more than 3% of a district's student body would be permitted to leave their assigned district each year. Today, students may only go to alternative districts if they have a parent or guardian who is an employee for the recipient district, and under other limited circumstances. Otherwise, the family must move, enroll in private school, or homeschool.
"They live where they live because of the school district," said Rep. Dean VanSchoiack, R-Savannah. "I don't really think a lot of people in my district want to move out of their current school district."
VanSchoiack opposed the bill, though he praised sponsor Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, for Pollitt's willingness to work with colleagues and produce a compromise agreement. Nevertheless, the underlying need for open enrollment doesn't seem to be there, VanSchoiack said. Rather than give students the right to leave districts where they are otherwise assigned, the Legislature should be fixing districts that have problems, he said.
"I really don't think we have failing schools in Northwest Missouri," VanSchoiack said. "I don't think we have failing schools in my district. I don't think open enrollment's going to be beneficial to the students or schools in my district, and that's why I voted against it."
The bill now heads to the Missouri Senate, where similar ideas have failed to get a vote of approval for several years in a row. Among the top concerns opponents have had is the bill's mechanism for distributing state funding.
At present, the St. Joseph School District receives just over $61.5 million in state funding annually, an amount that changes based on how many students are enrolled, how reliably they are attending school, and other factors. Under HB 1989, the state funding associated with students who enroll in alternative districts — for example, the equivalency payment of $6,375 each year, per student — would follow them to wherever they go. This is to help the recipient district pay for that child's education.
Amid extensive filibusters that have become more common in the upper chamber, it's not clear how much legislating the Senate will accomplish this year. Many bills considered high priorities by legislative leaders died at the end of 2023 session.
Sen. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, who represents Northwest Missouri, estimated that HB 1989 could come down to a close vote. Black said he favors HB 1989 as it exists, because although state funding would be directed to a given student's recipient district, local property tax dollars that are collected for the local school would remain at home.
"I would be opposed to taking my property taxes from Chillicothe and sending those over to a different school, because that's not a school that I'm a voter in," he said. "But, as long as that protection is in there, I still think, I'm probably going to vote for it. At this point in time, I'm still planning on it."
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
