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Dexter senator proposes bill for open enrollment in Missouri

By Tyler Profilet & Heartland News

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (KFVS) - Want to attend a high school in the district you don't live in? One lawmaker thinks that shouldn't be a problem.

Senator Rob Mayer of Dexter has proposed a bill that would allow for open enrollment in Missouri public schools.

Greenville Superintendent Jim Morrison says his district will lose students if Sen. Mayer's bill passes.

"Some of them would be for more opportunities for sports. That would be a big one. Some special ed, I could see them going to a district that offered more services," he said.

Morrison says for a small district like his, losing a small number of kids would still have a big impact.

"If we lost 10 kids, that's a teacher that we might already have hired that we would have to pay for. With funding as tight as it is now, that would sure be a problem for us," he said.

Sen. Mayer says he doesn't expect a mass exodus of students from small to large districts, and says he expects only about five percent of students to transfer.

"The bill will create some competition and we think that's healthy," said Sen. Mayer.

Mayer says the funding for the transferring students is still being worked out, but hopes the dollars will simply transfer from one district to the next.

"Our intent is to see that the funding transfers from the residential school district to the receiving school district. That includes both state and local funding," he said.

But Morrison fears that state and local funding going to a different district could end up costing his district in the long run.

Sen. Mayer says there are safeguards in the bill that would allow districts to reject students if it would result in overcrowding.

The bill would allow students currently enrolled in a public school to enroll in a different school district beginning July 1, 2011. It does not apply to Kansas City or St. Louis City school districts.

According to the bill, each school district must have a policy outlining class size and teacher-pupil ratios for all grades. No school district is required to enroll students if they have reached their max enrollment. If a student is denied, the school district must state the reason.

The bill states that a student's parent or guardian must contact the child's school district where they live and the receiving school district by Jan. 15 of the preceding year. If they do not contact them by Jan. 15, they have until the third Friday in July of that calendar year.

Any student who enrolls in other school districts will be counted in their school district where they live. This school district will pay the receiving district for the student's attendance.