Parents looking for different public education opportunities for their children could soon have more options within Missouri. House Bill 543 would allow for students to enroll in schools outside their home districts.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Brad Pollitt, says the bill is a step in the right direction for public education reform.
Mike Wood, a representative from the Missouri State Teachers Association, testified in opposition to the bill. Wood says small school districts might face consolidation as a result of students leaving for larger districts.
“As much as our concern is that a school may be consolidated with another school, is what happens [to] that small community?"
Wood continued to emphasize the importance of public schools in the local community.
"Because in a number of those small communities, that is, the community is the school. And our concern is, is losing those schools and losing those communities out there and in rural Missouri.”
Under this bill, the decision of whether or not to admit a student from a different district would be in the hands of the receiving district.
