Debate on education reform finally came to Jefferson City this past week in the form of an amendment to an education omnibus bill that would allow for open enrollment across school district lines. The amendment was sponsored by Representative Scott Dieckhaus, a Republican from Washington, MO who said during the floor debate on his amendment ““I could not send my child to a district that was failing to provide my child’s educational needs, knowing every day they were not giving my child the foundation he needs to succeed in life.”
The original amendment exempted the districts of St. Louis and Kansas City, but Representative Don Calloway, a Democrat from the St. Louis County area of Bel- Nor, successfully added an amendment that would have included the St. Louis Public School District. Representative Calloway argued that St. Louis is the “flagship failing school district” in the state and children there should be able to leave the district if they choose to do so. Representative Dieckhaus was in favor of this amendment and also asked a Representative from Kansas City to propose an amendment that would include that city’s district as well.
Opponents of the amendment argued hypothetical, and often seemingly one in a million chance, problems with the policy of open enrollment. These objections ranged anywhere from schools not being able to plan budgets to concerns that students would essentially endlessly jump around from school to school. This despite the fact that students have to apply to the receiving school well in advance of the next school year and students could only go open enroll to a school outside of their assigned zone district one time. Opponents even tried to call this a voucher system which is ridiculous considering that vouchers are illegal under the Missouri State Constitution. Proponents of the amendment stuck to the simple philosophy that a child stuck in a school district that is failing or not a good fit should have an opportunity to go to another district.
While the amendment failed by a vote of 34 – 122, the debate on the issue put education reform and school choice front and center in the Missouri House for most of the day’s session. The issue is not dead for the year, as there is an Open Enrollment bill in the Senate Education Committee that has been heard, but has yet to come up for a vote. The Children’s Education Council of Missouri hopes that the debate on this important issue continues sometime during the session. Children trapped in failing schools deserve the opportunity to look for alternatives in order to receive an appropriate education.
