This week, the Missouri Senate spent the bulk of its time on the floor debating Senate Bill 493, legislation that addresses the ongoing issues arising out of the school transfer law and its effects on both accredited and unaccredited districts.

The problem is one of the most immediate facing our state. One of the primary duties of the Legislature is to guarantee every child has the opportunity to have a great education, no matter where he or she lives. Right now, that’s not happening. There are thousands of students in our state whose futures are in jeopardy.

Senate Bill 493 offers possible solutions to this situation. The legislation is actually a combination of nine bills, from nine different senators, from both sides of the aisle. It is truly a bi-partisan effort.

The measure is a massive piece of legislation with tons of moving parts, but the core of the bill contains seven major proposals, which would:

• Require students transferring from an unaccredited school to first take open seats in an accredited school within their district before transferring to neighboring districts;
• Allows students from unaccredited schools to transfer to private, non-sectarian schools, with tuition paid for with public funds;
• Establish three regional education authorities for St. Louis, Kansas City and the rest of the state to oversee the transfer process;
• Require the accreditation of individual schools, versus the current method of awarding accreditation district wide;
• Prohibits the State Board of Education from classifying a school district as unaccredited unless at least 55 percent of schools in the district are unaccredited;
• Created the Supplemental Tuition Fund in the state treasury to pay the difference between the tuition calculations between the sending district and the receiving district; and
• Allow school boards with unaccredited or provisionally accredited schools to increase the length of the school day.

During debate on the bill, an amendment was offered that stripped language from the legislation that would have terminated the contracts of all teachers once a school becomes unaccredited. Teachers have shouldered a lot of blame regarding our educational problems, and I feel it is completely misplaced.

Teachers are highly educated, talented and devoted professionals. They prepare our children for the future, and show them how to navigate the world we live in. Teaching is one of the noblest careers. Teachers will always be the key to unlocking students’ imaginations.

I have no doubt that there are bad teachers out there, and that some contributed to the current situation we’re in. However, firing every teacher in a district is not the solution. Yes, we need a way to address bad educators in this state, but the language in the bill was too broad and too severe. It needed to be removed.

I’m also grateful that most legislators acknowledge that spending more money won’t solve the problem. Missouri spends more than $1.5 billion a year to educate our approximately 917,000 public school students. Per pupil expenditures have doubled in inflation-adjusted terms since 1970. Today, the average yearly cost of educating a public student is around $10,000, if not more depending on the district.

We’re spending historic amounts on education, and yet scores on standardized assessments of student achievement have remained essentially flat. Simply spending more money is not going to produce greater student learning. We have to find innovative solutions.

On Thursday, we approved Senate Bill 493. The bill has a way to go, though. This is a massive issue, and we need to get it right. I want to ensure the bill strengthens our education system and protects students in our state. Notice I said students, not schools. I think the current debate has focused too much on public education as an institution, instead of the actual students that institution is meant to serve. The children should be our priority, not propping up old educational edifices who have failed students for too long.

Contact Me

I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions, and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-2459. You may write me at Wayne Wallingford, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or email at wayne.wallingford@senate.mo.gov or www.senate.mo.gov/wallingford.