By Annelise Hanshaw
Missouri Independent
Republican legislators are set to push for further expansion of charter schools around Missouri when the General Assembly reconvenes next month.
Meanwhile, Democrats are pushing for more local control in counties where charters already operate, along with rolling back an expansion into Boone County that passed earlier this year.
Identical bills filed by Sen. Ben Brown, a Washington Republican, and Rep. Michael O’Donnell, a Republican from St. Louis, seek to authorize charter schools in the state’s five charter counties and in municipalities with at least 30,000 residents.
Iterations of the bill have been filed since 2022. O’Donnell prefiled the legislation last legislative session but did not receive a hearing.
With some exceptions, charter schools are only allowed to operate in Kansas City, St. Louis and Boone County.
Bills authorizing specific counties to establish charter schools had more traction. Rep. Brad Christ, a St. Louis Republican, got his bill seeking to authorize charter schools in St. Louis County through committee early in the 2024 legislative session and has refiled the bill this year.
He believes legislation providing alternatives to traditional public schools will gain more traction under the leadership of Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe, who has spoken publicly about his support for charter schools and K-12 tax-credit scholarships.
“There will be much more coordination between the governor’s office and both bodies than in the past,” Christ told The Independent.
Residents in his district have asked for more publicly-funded schooling options for various reasons. The schools in his district have a good reputation, so Christ doesn’t anticipate a large exodus from the public districts.
“I don’t think charter schools will be popping up overnight all over St Louis County if this passes,” he said. “But in areas where there’s a need and where there’s a demand, I think it will provide options for families, whether that be academic, personal, social, religious or whatever it might be.”
He’s open to his bill amending a larger education package. Last year, his bill was tacked onto proposals to expand charters into St. Charles and Boone County.
Ultimately, only the Boone County legislation survived a tumultuous 2024 legislative session, with former Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden of Columbia pushing for his county to be a new home for charter schools.
Rep. David Tyson Smith, a Democrat from Columbia, is hoping to reverse the decision with a pair of bills that would remove the authorization from state law and, secondly, call for a vote in Boone County to let voters decide if charters are welcome.
“Ultimately, it would be good to just completely have a repealed charter school provision,” he told The Independent. “But also, if we can take it to the voters and let them decide, I think that would be appropriate.”
Smith said Boone County residents “never wanted” charter schools expanded to their county, calling the legislation “Rowden’s baby.” Rowden is leaving office because of term limits and has accepted a job as director of strategic advocacy at the lobbying firm Strategic Capitol Consulting.
“I don’t know that now that he’s gone, you’re gonna have anyone who’s just adamant about keeping charter schools in Boone County,” Smith said.
He said he didn’t know of anyone in the House pushing for charter schools in Boone County. Last year, Republican Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch from Hallsville filed the legislation. In November, she narrowly lost a bid for Boone County commissioner and is term limited from continuing her work in the Missouri House.
Other bills seek to change the way charter schools operate in Missouri.
A proposal by Sen.-elect Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat from Kansas City, would require charter schools to obtain a certificate of need from their local school districts to operate. The State Board of Education would review and approve the certificates of need.
Rep. Doug Clemens, a St. Louis Democrat, also filed legislation that would require local oversight.
His legislation, which he filed last year as well, would require local school districts to sponsor charter schools. Most of the state’s charter schools are currently sponsored by the Missouri Charter Public School Commission, a state board that oversees charters. Clemens’s bill would remove the need for the commission.
“The idea that local school boards don’t have control over charter schools operating within their district is just not okay,” Clemens told The Independent. “I think that it is worth talking about local control when it comes to the education of our children.”
Having local governance of charter schools would allow residents to have more input on the way their tax dollars are spent on education, he said.
His bill did not get a hearing last legislative session, along with bills filed by other lawmakers that would modify charter sponsorship.
Rudi Keller contributed to this report.
4 comments:
Our Public-School Systems are Broken. We must look at Alternative ways to Educate our Children. Again, we must deal with the Truth and the Facts -
Where does Missouri schools rank nationally in education - Missouri schools came in at #34?
Where does US schools rank globally in education - US schools came in at #13 globally?
The Largest Labor Union in the United States is the Teachers Union - The National Education Association (NEA), with over 3,000,000+ Million Members. Critics of Teacher's Unions find evidence that their Political Power obstructs efforts to improve America's public schools and that it may lead to lower student performance at higher cost.
We keep spending more and more money on Education - Raising Taxes and even using Gambling - The Lotto and Sports Betting to raise more and more money - yet this isn't the solution or solving the problems -
What does this tell us - The Public-School Systems are Broken - Our Kids are not Receiving the Education that they need to be Competitive - The Schools have more Bureaucratic Layers of Administration than most Corporate Companies and Teachers that cannot be Terminated for Bad-Performance, because of their Collective Bargaining Contracts with their Unions - Plus the Performance / Quality of the Administration and Teachers is so Bad that if they were in a Business Setting the Majority would be Terminated - so we need to Tear it Down and Start Over and Rebuild and look for Alternative ways to Educate our Children so they will be Competitive in the Future with the Rest of the World - Before it is too Late!
Goodness Gracious!
Republicans are in charge, things aren't going so well for education, now come the calls to:
Tear it Down and Start Over and Rebuild and look for Alternative ways to Educate our Children so they will be Competitive in the Future with the Rest of the World - Before it is too Late!
Honestly this probably won't turn out any better than thoughts and prayers already have, except that talibangelical school mullahs will be well paid and the children even less well educated. Which will be viewed as a success depending on your tilt.
4:02PM, The Democrats have been in Charge for the 12 out of the last 16 Years - Get Your Facts Correct - Obama-8 Years, Trump-4 Years, and Biden-4 Years. So for 12-Years Nothing has occurred under the Control of the Democrats, except Biden wanting to Commute/Forgiveness on some College Student Loan Debt and the only reason he wanted to do that was because he saw that would give him some more Voters for the Democrats, which is the same thing they do to Minorities to keep them enslaved to Multiple Government Programs, with Promises their Lives will be better if they Vote Democratic.
Since, Children in K-12 don't vote they weren't a concern to the Democrats. Again, Wasn't the First Lady - Jill Biden the so-called American Educator suppose to turn the US Education System around - More Lies and Delusional Thinking - Similar to what she said after Joe's Disastrous Debate - "Didn't the president do a great job? Yes!" said Jill Biden to supporters and "Joe you did such a great job," she went on. "You answered every question, you knew all the facts." - More Lies - But they couldn't Fool the American Public any more.
The Democrats, believe in Big Government, which includes the Big Unions - and it just so happens that the Teacher's Union - The National Education Association (NEA), has over 3,000,000+ Million Members (which Supports and Donates to the Democratic Party) - the Biggest Union in the United States - Doesn't it really seem funny that we throw more and more money at the Educational System - With Little or No Gain in the Quality of Education that are Children are receiving? IT SHOULD! We are falling further and further behind the rest of the World. So, you better look at your Democratic Party and the Biggest Union in the United States and FIGURE IT OUT - - Why Johnny and Jill can't Read, Write, Do Mathematics - and our Educational System is #13 in the World- Then if you Figure that Out - You can say - "Goodness Gracious".
When your State comes in 34th in the Country and the US comes in 13th in the World - I would hope most people would see there is a problem with the Educational System. We continue to raise taxes and try to raise money from gambling for schools - lotto / sports betting - we have to realize that money is not the answer - the problem we are not using the money or technology efficiently.
Administrators with multiple Superintendents, multiple Principals, multiple Vice Principals, Directors and everyone having multiple Assistants or Secretary's - to add many more layers - this is what happens when the Government gets involved in anything - they overly complicate things, they build ivory towers, and overspend because they don't have to worry because they use Tax Payers Money to pay for everything.
Then locally we spend Millions of Dollars on Sports Facilities and now we need to spend another Million on Astro Turf in Joplin - while Johnny and Jill cannot read, write, or do mathematics - then we have got big problems.
Post a Comment