Missouri House advances school choice bill as sweeping package stalls in Senate

A measure that would allow the state to direct $50 million of public money a year toward private school for Missouri students moved forward in the state House Wednesday while a more sweeping school choice bill stalled in the Senate.

The bill expanding school choice is one of several that have gained momentum in the Missouri legislature this year amid a rise in parental frustrations with public schools, some which have remained closed for in-person classes during the pandemic.

The proposal would create a program that uses tax credits to provide scholarships for some public school students to attend private schools.

While the idea is not new, school choice advocates have touted it as one likely to finally gain approval. House Speaker Rob Vescovo, an Arnold Republican, has called school choice bills his top priority this session.

The bill won initial approval in the House by a slim majority — garnering one more supporter than needed for passage. It requires another vote before it is sent to the Senate.

On Wednesday, sponsor Phil Christofanelli, a St. Peters Republican, retooled the measure to specifically target students in the state’s urban areas, outraging opponents who have warned that the proposals would siphon money from public school systems toward potentially less accountable alternatives.

Supporters said plan would give poor students a ticket out of the state’s poorest performing school districts. But Kansas City- and St. Louis-area lawmakers called the proposal an “experiment” on urban students and school districts that would not be borne by the rest of the state.

Under changes made Wednesday, the tax credits would be tied to the General Assembly’s funding of public school transportation dollars.

Across the building, a Senate school choice package that combines several proposals, including the tax credits, appeared to be faltering under its own weight Wednesday.

Senators filibustered for nearly 12 hours Tuesday night and Wednesday morning over the sweeping measure.

It substantially expands the places where charter schools are allowed in Missouri, from Kansas City and St. Louis to anywhere with more than 30,000 residents. The measure also increases the amount of per-student funding charter schools receive. Another addition would require school districts to get parental consent before teaching students “any course materials and instruction relating to human sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases,” or risk a $10,000 fine.

By the end of the night, it appeared the package lacked the support needed for initial Senate approval. Sponsor Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelby County Republican, tabled the measure temporarily.

Though Kansas City and St. Louis legislators were the most vocally opposed to the proposals, smaller counties’ lawmakers in both chambers also said they were concerned about protecting their local school districts.

“We have some problems in public schools but I don’t think they’re all failing,” said Bonne Terre Republican Mike Henderson.

To ease the transition for school districts that would lose students to the scholarship program, the House approved a change that would allow the districts to continue collecting funding for those students for the first five years, which would make the measure more costly than originally proposed.

This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 9:29 PM.