Two troubled St. Louis-area school districts could pay a combined $23 million to cover tuition and transportation costs for students opting to attend accredited districts.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that nearly 1,700 students in the Normandy and Riverview Gardens districts have applied to transfer. That follows a recent Missouri Supreme Court ruling requiring unaccredited districts to pick up those costs for students who want to attend better schools.
The home districts must cover the tuition costs, and must pay for transportation to at least one school district.
The potential financial cost is a huge challenge for the two districts that are already facing budget problems.
About 16 percent of students in both districts have expressed interest in transferring.
