Lawmakers tackle unaccredited school exodus
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — With several thousand more Missouri public school students about to join the ranks of those attending unaccredited districts, a legislative committee hopes to make sure those students get the best education possible without overwhelming nearby accredited school districts with a sudden surge in enrollment.
Last week, the Missouri State School Board voted to place Kansas City public schools in unaccredited status. The district joins St. Louis and Riverview Gardens with that dubious distinction. But there are several other districts teetering on the brink of becoming unaccredited, including the Caruthersville and Hayti school districts in southeast Missouri and the Normandy school district in north St. Louis County.
Under a Missouri Supreme Court ruling in the case of Turner vs. Clayton, students in unaccredited districts have the right to transfer to nearby public school districts, at the expense of the unaccredited district from which they are transferring. Numerous witnesses at a legislative hearing at the State Capitol Wednesday said that isn’t happening.
St. Louis firefighter Andrew Hesse told committee members that county school districts’ refusal to take in his three children is costing him nearly $20,000 a year in private school tuition.
“If I was able to send just my (oldest) daughter…to an accredited county high school, that would be like getting a $10,000 a year pay raise,” said Hesse, whose oldest daughter attends Lutheran South High School.
Sen. Jane Cunningham, co-chair of the Joint Interim Committee on School Accreditation, said districts have not been following the court’s mandate.
“I have talked to our attorney general, they are responsible for taking those students now, but it’s not happening and students are being rejected,” she said.
The executive director of the Cooperating School Districts of St. Louis County acknowledges districts in his consortium have not been taking all St. Louis students who want to transfer to suburban school districts. But Don Senti told committee members his schools are doing all they can.
“I want to make it really clear that the suburban school districts around St. Louis are not trying to keep kids out of the suburban schools,” Senti said. “We’ve taken voluntary transfer kids, we have 6,000 kids from the city right now. What we need though is just some reasonable parameters.”
Charter school advocates, such as Earl Sims with the Missouri Charter Public Schools Association, advocated for more widespread access to charter schools. Sims’ organization favors allowing an expansion in who can sponsor charter schools in areas they currently serve now. Charter schools currently only operate in St. Louis and Kansas City. Under the plan, non-profit groups, science museums and centers and businesses such as Monsanto could sponsor such schools. He also called for school districts to allow charter schools to occupy now vacant public school properties.
Other witnesses favored the use of open enrollment policies, a particular favorite of House co-chair Rep. Scott Dieckhaus, R-Washington. He has sponsored open enrollment legislation during several legislative sessions.
Dieckhaus, Cunningham and other members of the committee say it will probably take a combination of several ideas. The committee will hold hearings in St. Los and Kansas City over the coming weeks to speak with constituents who are being affected by the situation.
The committee then will consider writing legislation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly.
Related posts:
- Senate hears differing opinions on school choice plans
- Senate committee abandons changes to charter school bill
- Charter School Expansion Advances
- Charter school bill dies on Senate floor
- House Approves Charter Schools Expansion
Posted by Dick Aldrich on September 29, 2011. Filed under Featured.
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