In a bipartisan vote, the General Assembly passed House Bill 42, addressing student transfers in failing districts. Hours of hard work and cooperation from both the House and the Senate resulted in a bill that will make meaningful changes to Missouri’s education system, while protecting rural schools from a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

In 1993, legislation was enacted that allowed students in unaccredited districts to transfer to accredited school districts in the same or adjoining county. As this provision became a reality in 2013 due to a court ruling, thousands of students in the Normandy and Riverview Gardens school districts in St. Louis County transferred out of their failing districts into nearby accredited schools. Since then, the Legislature has worked to find a solution to ensure every student has an opportunity to receive a high-quality education within their own community.

House Bill 42 addresses failing school districts and creates a process for students to transfer out of failing districts. In order to bring accountability while balancing the needs of the districts, the Legislature approved a process to accredit not only entire school districts, but also accredit each individual school building within a district. Students must first attempt to transfer to a successful building within the district of residence before they are allowed to transfer out.  

While the bill includes provisions relating to school transfers, it also addresses an issue of great concern to many school districts across the state. Because of changes in the formula to fund K-12 education during last session, there was the possibility that payments to certain school districts would be drastically changed. Due to the addition of $84 million in the Foundation Formula and a one-year extension in HB 42, districts will not see a dramatic shift in their funding levels.

For over two years, we have worked with community leaders, elected officials and local school districts as well as the governor, to create a piece of legislation that will help failing districts and encourage the continued success of the majority of the districts across the state. Getting a bill to the governor before the end of session is a major accomplishment, and it is my hope that he will soon approve this measure.

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or (573) 751-2272, or by fax at (573) 526-7381.