Photo by CDC
Columbia Missourian: The Missouri General Assembly is currently considering two bills that would create a voluntary open enrollment policy in the state, and some are concerned the policy may widen existing gaps in education.
Senate Bill 5 and House Bill 253 would create the Public School Open Enrollment Act. It would allow public school students to transfer from their home district to any other public school district that has opted into the program.
Students may leave a district that has not opted in for another district that has, though both open enrollment bills allow districts to cap how many students can leave for the first couple of years after the policy's adoption.
Both bills have passed out of their committees. Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, is the chairman of the committee that considered the Senate version of the bill as well as the bill's sponsor. His bill is on the informal calendar for perfection, lining it up for floor debate. The House bill is on the formal calendar for perfection.
Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, said he is advancing open enrollment legislation because it would give students and parents more choice. He said parents who live in one town and work in another town may prefer to send their children to the school where they work, and parents whose values clash with their local districts may want to send their children to a district that suits them better.