Legislation ‘Bleak’ For Public Schools

Crawford County R-1 School Board member Jason Gobin said March 17 that legislation being debated in the Missouri legislature was ‘bleak’ for public schools.

Gobin was speaking in the aftermath of a Missouri School Boards Association legislative forum that some members attended.

The legislation in question concerns an open enrollment system, which narrowly passed the Missouri House on March 9.

The bills would establish a formula by which school districts would transfer funds to charter schools based on student enrollment.

Another would create an open enrollment system that allows students to transfer to a district outside the one where they reside.

Open enrollment has been debated in Missouri for more than a decade and they are closer to becoming a reality.

Both bills passed with 85 votes, three above the 82-vote minimum.

“We got some hints that the bills may die on the floor and not come back,” Gobin said.

He said they are hopeful that redistricting in Missouri will produce more representatives that are supportive of public education.

Ron Copeland (R-Salem) currently represents District 143 outside of Crawford County, but his district will include this area. Copeland is reportedly against the open enrollment bill.

He was absent when another vote was taken March 25.

Rep. Jason Chipman (R-Steelville) currently represents Crawford County in the Missouri House and voted for the bills.

“He is a not a supporter of public education,” Gobin said.

Sen. Justin Brown (R-Rolla) is reportedly a supporter of public education and the district is hopeful he will vote against the bills.

Superintendent Dr. Kyle Gibbs warned that the bills could come up in an omnibus package at the end of the legislative session.

Under the open enrollment bill, families that own residential or agriculture property where they have paid at least $3,000 in school taxes for at least three years may send up to four kids to a district outside of the one in which they reside and taxes are paid.

The bill would start in the 2023-24 school year.

Students could apply to attend any public school in a district.

Schools would have to indicate by Oct. 1 whether they plan to accept students under the open enrollment program for the following year.

Even if schools choose not to accept students, they cannot stop students within the district from leaving.

The bill says that in the first two years of the program, districts would be permitted to restrict the number of students who transfer out to 5% of the previous year’s enrollment.

The bill would establish a $60 million “Parent Public School Choice Fund” that would cover state aid payments to districts.

A fiscal analysis of the bill said it would be difficult to assess the financial impact until the number of students who would participate is known.