JEFFERSON CITY — A House bill to expand public school choice was put aside Wednesday after Senate Democrats spoke in opposition and amendments were passed that would send it back to the House.
After some five hours of debate, the bill was moved to the informal calendar to potentially be taken up at a later date.
House Bill 711 would establish the Public School Open Enrollment Act, which would allow students to attend public schools outside of the district they live in. Districts would have to opt in to the program in order to accept students from other districts.
Sen. Doug Beck, D-Affton, began the filibuster saying he felt shut out of conversations about the bill.
"Now we're here on the floor, we have all the time in the world to go as deep into this as you would like," responded Sen. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, the bill handler.
Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, said she doesn’t want to see districts pitted against each other. She also pointed out that districts across the state from every senators' constituencies voiced opposition to the open enrollment bill.
Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, asked for clarification on parts of the bill, including a Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education database that would be created. The database would show available open seats in participating school districts.
Bill sponsor Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, listened to parts of the debate among senators. With less than three weeks left in the legislative session, Pollitt told the Missourian it is difficult to predict if a bill will be successful, even at this point in the process.
"We're trying to appease as many groups as we can," Pollitt said. "I've filed this bill because I want to give public schools a seat at the school choice table."
Two amendments were added to the bill, which would require the House to vote on the bill again after Senate approval. Forcing another vote in the House this late in the session might be an impossible hurdle to pass, given the narrow margin it passed by in the House earlier this year.
Sen. Joe Nicola, R-Grain Valley, offered an amendment to protect certain districts' four-day school weeks, among other provisions.
Another adopted amendment, offered by Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, focused on the legislature's power of the purse. It will not allow open enrollment unless the foundation formula and other program-related expenses, such as transportation, have been fully funded in the previous school year.
The bill is similar to legislation that has passed in the House every year since 2021, but this time it's backed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, according to previous Missourian reporting.
Supporters have argued that open enrollment in public schools would increase parental control and offer more flexibility in education and extracurricular activities.
Opponents are concerned that the bill could disrupt the public school system, causing some districts to lose students and potentially be forced to consolidate with nearby districts.
"If you got a good school, you got nothing to worry about," Pollitt told the Missourian. "If you got a bunch of parents wanting to leave, there's a reason."
Support for the bill is not clearly divided by party. It passed the House by a vote of 88-69, with 22 Republicans voting against the bill and three Democrats voting in favor of it.
Just before the Senate adjourned, Sen. Patty Lewis, D-Kansas City, asked school district leadership opposed to the bill to call their senators as the session winds down.
