MO school board strengthens its support for 'voluntary' open enrollment legislation

The Missouri Board of Education voted Tuesday to strengthen its position in support of legislation permitting open enrollment — as long as it is voluntary.

A form of school choice, the legislation aims to give public school students the right to attend the district they want rather than the one they are assigned based on where they live.

The board voted 6-2 to shed vague language about its position and replace it with unequivocal support. That is now part of the governing body's 2024 Legislative Platform.

Board member Mary Schrag, of West Plains, provided an overview of the platform — dominated by changes meant to improve teacher recruitment and retention — and urged the board to "take a stronger position on our support of open enrollment."

She said in many parts of the state, families must pay tuition to enroll their children in a district other than the one they are zoned to attend.

"By having a voluntary open enrollment that kind of helps those students whose families can't really afford to pay that tuition that they need to move school districts," she said. "Some districts have more resources than others and by having a voluntary open enrollment it really allows the students whose parents don't have means to have the same capabilities as maybe parents who would have the means."

In the 2023 legislative platform approved in December, the state board suggested the state education department "work with stakeholders to examine best practices for voluntary open enrollment."

This week, that was replaced with the following: "The state Board of Education supports legislation that establishes voluntary public school open enrollment, providing families access to the public schools that best align with their students' unique educational needs."

Two board members opposed making the change. They included Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, Pasadena Hills, and Carol Hallquist, of Kansas City.

Westbrooks-Hodge said there are two many unanswered questions about what open enrollment might look like in Missouri.

"We should continue to be open to learning and not open to taking a stance that is not well-informed," she said.

Describing open enrollment as "controversial," Westbrooks-Hodge suggested there were significant roadblocks to implementing the policy successfully in Missouri.

She pointed to the wide variance in local and state funding levels from one district to the next.

"States where open enrollment has been successful tend to have more consistent resource flows to their schools, greater reliance on state funding and less reliance on local funding, which tends to be unequal because it is based on local property values," she said.

"Conversely, Missouri has great reliance on local funding, extreme variances in local property values and underlying challenges with consistent property assessment approaches."

More: Fearing 'budget nightmare,' 175 Missouri districts take action opposing open enrollment

Board president Charlie Shields, of St. Joseph said the word "voluntary" is critical to the position of the state board. He voted for the change along with Schrag; Donald Claycomb, of Linn; Kerry Casey, of Chesterfield; Kimberly Bailey, of Raymore; and Peter Herschend, of Branson.

Casey said it was acceptable to back the idea of open enrollment even if certain details are unknown.

"I don't think you have to figure out how it would work before you would say what you support — that you need something that is going to benefit the children of Missouri," Casey said.

"It is our responsibility not only to the children but to the taxpayers of Missouri that Missouri dollars are spent as wisely as they can be for education of all students."

Herschend said he preferred the state board take "an affirmative position" on open enrollment but agreed there are lingering questions.

Open enrollment was proposed in the past three legislative sessions, at least, and is expected to come up again this year. Each proposal is slightly different.

"There are several significant questions that need to be answered in conjunction with open enrollment — capacity, transportation, funding — where does the money go? We should be prepared to answer those questions before they are asked," he said.

More: MO lawmaker says 'good' districts have nothing to fear from open enrollment

Hiring, keeping teachers focus of platform

Proposals related to teacher recruitment and retention in Missouri dominate the state board's legislative priorities, which include the following:

• Raising the minimum starting teacher salary to at least $38,000 and requiring an annual review by the Joint Committee on Education to ensure teacher salaries remain appropriate and competitive;

• Continuing to appropriate state funding to support Grow Your Own programs, the Teacher Baseline Salary Grant, and the Career Ladder Program;

• Establishing a state fund to support districts increase the minimum starting salary and providing more competitive salaries overall;

• Expanding the allowable uses of Career Ladder funds to include certain extra duties performed during standard contract hours;

• Implementing strategies aimed at immediate support for classroom management, professional growth for teachers, and training for school leaders on cultivating positive school climate and culture;

• Reinforcing positive student behavior so educators can focus on providing instruction in a respectful, engaging classroom environment.

The rest of the legislative platform includes:

• Supporting continued funding of literacy initiatives aimed at supporting the science of reading;

• Providing access to voluntary high-quality early learning opportunities for all Missouri children. This includes phasing in a plan to allow districts to count 100% of preschool students, ages 4-5, as part of their attendance calculation for leveraging state funding;

• Fully funding the Foundation Formula, the school transportation formula, and adjustments to student weightings in the Foundation Formula to ensure student needs are fully supported with appropriate funding;

• Recommending the legislature modify and fully fund the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program Fund to provide scholarships to students willing to begin their teaching careers in hard-to-fill subjects and areas.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: MO school board fortifies support for 'voluntary' open enrollment