Quick Facts:

• Changes to Missouri Statute 167.131- better known as the Student Transfers Law- are being debated in state legislature
• These include a private school revision, more specific definitions on how schools are defined as eligible for transfer, and which students are able to transfer
• Measures have passed in both the House and Senate. Differences must be worked out and then sent for a new vote

These past two months, the Missouri Legislature has been debating changes to Missouri Statute 167.131; better known as the Student Transfers law. These changes center around a private school option, who is eligible for transfers, and tuition rates that sending schools have to pay.

In regards to private school, these revisions state that if districts within a reasonable bus ride of the unaccredited district cannot accommodate transfer students then public funds may be used for the students to attend nonsectarian private schools within the boundaries of the unaccredited district. Locally, this would only apply in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and Jackson County. Only one school, located in the Riverview Gardens district, would qualify. These private schools would not be required to accept students, but would be subject to a public vote if they decide to accept students. The major point of controversy is that local tax revenue would be used to pay for the tuition, although these schools would be held to the same state standards of performance and safety.

In response to the criticism, supporters point out other revisions that more specifically define who qualifies for transfers and who does not. This includes a measure to look at individual buildings for accreditation versus the entire district, and a district does not become unaccredited itself until 55% of all buildings within the district lose accreditation. This would leave Riverview Gardens as the only district in the state without accreditation.

There’s also new limitations on who can transfer from within these districts. The Senate originally set this limit as anyone living within the unaccredited district for 12 months, but the House set three lower criteria. Potential transfer students must have a.) attended an unaccredited school, b.) within an unaccredited district, c.) for at least one semester.

The House also changed tuition rates drastically from the Senate’s plan. The House called for a tuition cap at 70% of the sending schools tuition, regardless of if the receiving school is a private or public school. The Senate’s original plan was scaled with incentives. If a receiving district agreed to charge 90% of their tuition, a new state fund would pay 10%. If the district charged less than 70% of their tuition, the transfer students would not count for the receiving districts state evaluations for at least five years.

Hopes are high that these new measures will help save the districts that have found financial difficulties after the transfers. After paying $1.3 million every month in tuition and transportation costs, Missouri legislature had to provide $2 million to the Normandy school district to finish out the year without going bankrupt. Those supporting the changes say that this will help another sudden rush of students leaving unaccredited districts after higher Common Core standards are implemented in the 2015 year.

Transfers started in August after the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the transfer law in Breitenfeld v. School District of Clayton. The case centered around a mother wanting St. Louis Public Schools to pay for the tuition and transportation costs for her students to attend Clayton school district under Statute 167.131