JEFFERSON CITY — The Senate Education Committee held a hearing today on Senate Bill 624, legislation sponsored by Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Independence, to address problems associated with the state’s school transfer law. The issue is one of the most urgent facing the Legislature this year and among Sen. LeVota’s top priorities for the 2014 session.

The measure would prohibit the State Board of Education from making decisions regarding a school’s accreditation unless all congressional districts in the state are represented on the board.

It would also set limits on the number of students from unaccredited districts schools that receiving district would have to accept while still allowing for an appeal process to the State Board of Education, among other provisions.

“One of our most important duties as legislators is ensuring that every child in Missouri, regardless of where they live, has a fair shot at a life of opportunity, and we do that through supporting education. And yet right now, there are thousands of students whose futures are in jeopardy because of a lack of comprehensive action on the school transfer issue,” said Sen. LeVota. “We have to make this our No. 1 priority. My legislation is by no means the entire solution, but it takes very strong steps toward fixing a problem that is having dire consequences on the families of our state.”

During the hearing, witnesses testified that the bill would go far in protecting accredited school districts from accepting more students than they can accommodate. However, the legislation also prevents a district from being classified unaccredited if the constituents in the congressional district of the schools aren’t represented on the Board of Education.

The school transfer law, which was upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court last year, allows students from unaccredited districts to transfer into adjacent accredited districts. Last year, the law caused chaos in St. Louis, home to two unaccredited districts.

Many are now calling on the Legislature to find a solution to the issue before it affects both of Missouri’s major metropolitan areas.

However, Sen. LeVota says he sees the problem as a statewide issue, not a regional one.

“The school transfer law is a huge problem, but it’s also just a symptom of a deeper one:  The lack of commitment on the part of some lawmakers to put education in this state before politics,” said Sen. LeVota. “It’s time for action. The people of Missouri are looking to us, their elected officials, for a solution. We have to do everything in our power to find one. The school transfer issue is bankrupting our schools and tearing our neighborhoods apart. Let’s make sure we’re upholding our duty to the children of our state and get this done.”

Senate Bill 624 contains an emergency clause. If approved, it would go into effect upon receiving the governor’s signature. The bill requires a final vote from the committee before it can advance to the floor of the Senate for debate.

For more information on Sen. LeVota’s legislative efforts, click here or visit his Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/levota.