A bill on open enrollment, a topic of debate in the state legislature for more than a decade, passed a committee in the Missouri House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Open enrollment allows students to attend schools outside the district they live in.
The bill, House Bill 253, requires school districts to opt-in for accepting transfers, and includes a fund to cover transportation for students who qualify for free or reduced lunches and students in special education programs, according to recent reporting for the Missourian.
Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, chair of the Elemental and Secondary Education Committee, sponsored the bill. This is the third time Pollitt has brought a version of the legislation forward.
Two amendments were added to the bill prior to voting. The first clarified procedures for districts that opt into open enrollment, and the second stated plans for how the program would function in the event that requested funds were not appropriated.
Thirteen members of the committee voted in favor of the bill, while the remaining four voted against.
There are also several bills currently in the Senate relating to open enrollment, which supporters see as improving the odds that such legislation will pass into law this session.
In parallel to HB 253 is Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester. Koenig's proposed legislation is very similar to Pollitt's, but also allows students to transfer into charter schools. Pollitt's bill only applies to public schools.
Koenig is also sponsoring the related Senate Bill 565, which would grant parents a tax credit to use toward a child's educational expenses at any school, including one outside their district of residence.
The work of the Missouri News Network is written by Missouri School of Journalism students and editors for publication by Missouri Press Association member newspapers.