The Springfield Public Schools Board of Education is opposed to the state’s new student transfer law.
During a special meeting Monday, the board adopted a resolution urging Gov. Jay Nixon to veto House Bill 42. See the full resolution here.
Under Missouri's current law, when a school district loses accreditation, its students can transfer to a higher-performing district in the same or an adjoining county. The law allows receiving districts to charge tuition based on a formula.
The board believes that “HB 42 has essentially become a vehicle to expand charter schools and virtual education in St. Louis County and most of Jackson County without adequate accountability.”
According to the district, it already has an open-enrollment policy which allows students living within its attendance area to transfer to another SPS school if certain criteria are met.
In a statement, Superintendent Dr. John Jungmann said, "We do not believe this legislation is beneficial to the Springfield community or the public education system in Missouri. It does not fully solve the problems it was intended to address and creates new challenges for accredited school districts like Springfield Public Schools, including financial concerns about how to meet new unfunded mandates."
Passed by the House and the Senate, the bill is currently on the governor's desk awaiting his decision.