Open enrollment bills move through Missouri legislature for sixth straight year
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Kehoe has promised $7.5 million to pay for students to attend classes outside their school districts, if the state legislature can pass an open enrollment bill.
"Again, open enrollment is not about weakening public education, it's about strengthening it," Kehoe said in his State of the State Address in January. "Because when families have choices, schools are pushed to innovate, improve, and respond to the needs of the students they serve."
Two bills in each chamber would make open enrollment between districts possible, but the bills differ on how many transfer students can be accepted.
Rep. Brad Pollitt is sponsoring House Bill 2604, which would allow schools to cap transfer students at 5% of the previous school year's student enrollment. If passed, Pollitt's bill would take effect July 1, 2027.
Pollitt's bill hasn't been assigned to a House committee.
Sen. Curtis Trent's bill, S.B. 971, would start all schools on a 3% cap of the previous year's enrollment. If a school hits its transfer student total after the first year, it can bump the cap to 4%. Schools would be able to bump the cap again by 1% if it hits the transfer student total. However, 5% is the highest cap the bill would allow.
Trent's bill would take effect July 1, 2028, if it can pass both chambers. It was passed out of the Senate education committee on Tuesday.
This is the sixth year the General Assembly has tried to pass an open-enrollment bill.
Kehoe also stated in his State of the State Address that public schools will not receive any additional state funding for the next school year, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is tasked with updating the base formula for public school funding.
The Missouri National Education Association opposes the Senate bill.
"The Association believes that public school choice plans with state funding may harm students and our public schools unless essential criteria are in place for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating their effectiveness," MNEA's legislative update reads.
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