Open enrollment bill clears Missouri House for fifth year in a row

by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent
March 12, 2025

Legislation that would allow students to enroll in neighboring school districts won approval from the Missouri House on Wednesday. 

The 88-69 vote saw 22 Republicans join with all but three Democrats in opposition. It now heads to the Missouri Senate.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Brad Pollitt of Sedalia, has filed the legislation for five years in a row.  It narrowly passed the House four times but has never come to a vote in the Senate.

Over the years, the bill has shifted with protections added, like a 3% cap on the number of students that may leave a school district each year. School districts may opt in to accept students, but schools do not have an option to restrict students from leaving.

“This bill has been vetted tighter than any other bill,” Pollitt said during the debate Wednesday.

Supporters of the legislation commended it as a solution to make public schools more competitive during times when programs that allow public funding for private schools are growing nationwide.

State Rep. John Black, a Marshfield Republican, said he is “perplexed that any public-school advocate would oppose this bill.”

Black voted against a bill passed last year that boosted MOScholars, a tax credit program that diverts general fund dollars to pay for private school tuition.

State Rep. Marlene Terry, a Democrat from St. Louis, also spoke in favor of the bill Wednesday. Last year, she broke from much of her party as a deciding vote in passing the MOScholars bill.

She is grateful for her choice, she said, because a student from her district was able to attend the school of his choice. Terry became emotional, saying the boy recently died.

“Pass this bill,” she said. “Because you never know what might happen.”

Opponents say unpredictability is exactly why the bill shouldn’t pass.

State Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, a Columbia Democrat, said future legislative sessions could remove protections in the bill.

“We have no guarantees that next year bills won’t come forward to remove the opt-in provision, or remove the 3%,” she said. “And these things could devastate our communities.”

She pointed to the legislation establishing MOScholars, which passed in 2021 and was expanded last year. The program was written to be funded by tax-credit-eligible donations, but Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed in his budget this year to give $50 million to the fund.

“It’s not hard to see that we’re taking money from public schools,” she said.

Democrats in opposition asked for funding for public schools instead of open enrollment.

“We should be focusing on the issues where the students live,” said State Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson.

If schools are marked as failing and students leave, it will hurt property values and further reduce the funding for public schools in the area because of the lower property tax revenue, she said.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected].

Missouri Senators propose tax credit for homeschool and private school families

by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent
February 18, 2025

Missouri’s homeschool families and those enrolled in private schools could receive a tax credit for their educational expenses under legislation debated Tuesday by the Senate Education Committee.

The credit would be capped at the annual state adequacy target, a number determined by the per-pupil expenditure of the highest performing school districts in the state. 

Currently, that amount is $7,145.

The credit would be administered by the Missouri Department of Revenue. There is currently a tax-credit scholarship program overseen by the State Treasurer’s Office, called MOScholars, which provides a credit for donations to certain nonprofits that then disperse the money to families enrolling in private schools. 

The proposals debated on Tuesday, in contrast, would allow families to directly get a refund for expenses related to educating their children.

State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican from Harrisonville and one of the bill’s sponsors, compared the structure to the gas tax refund, in which drivers can submit gas receipts to the state for reimbursement.

The tax credit program would be a path for families to escape underperforming schools, said state Sen. Nick Schroer, a Republican from Defiance sponsoring a similar bill.

“For decades, Missouri dramatically increased education spending, yet student outcomes continue to decline,” he said. “More money has not solved the problem in the state of Missouri, and it’s clear that a one-size-fits-all system for educating our youth is failing to educate many of our children.”

Budget battle brewing over Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s school funding proposal

While the state education budget is due for an increase in the hundreds of millions this year, the formula that funds public schools has been relatively stagnant for over a decade with inflation outpacing any increases.

Gov. Mike Kehoe, lawmakers and the State Board of Education have all called for an examination of the formula.

Schroer began considering a homeschool tax credit when he was a state representative after hearing from homeschooling families about other states’ policies.

“There are many individuals, whether it’s private school, homeschool or hybrid, who’ve indicated that they would like to at least recoup some of those expenses since they’re not utilizing the public school system,” he said.

Brattin said his office received “an influx of opposition,” referring to homeschooling families worried about alterations to the state’s homeschool protections. Home educators have opposed tax credits and other public programs in recent years, saying they are worried about governmental oversight.

Brattin said the idea that it would impose restrictions on homeschooling families is a “myth.”

“Nothing in this bill is a requirement. Nothing in this bill is a database. Nothing in this bill is a list to take away rights, freedoms and liberties of individuals,” he said. “In fact, this only bolsters that and gives the full capability and freedom and liberty for families that want different options.”

Despite his reassurance, the first person in opposition represented home educators.

David Klarich, a lobbyist for the homeschooling group Family Covenant Ministries, said Missouri has “the best home education statute in the United States.” He asked for the bill to only apply to a separate category of home educators created last year in a large education package.

“Those parents who want to participate in public schools or take public dollars may then do so, and there would be no concern about governmental intrusion because then those parents and students go wide-eyed into the governmental system and they can still participate,” Klarich said.

He feared there would be “strings attached,” leading to curriculum oversight.

State Sen. David Gregory, a Republican from Chesterfield, said he is “not seeing where the strings are attached.”

Public education groups also had concerns.

Otto Fajen, lobbyist for teachers’ union Missouri National Education Association, told committee members that the legislation could further restrict the amount of the state’s general revenue available for public education.

“(This bill) is on its own, without connecting with what’s going on with the (public school funding) formula, what’s going on with minimum salaries, and kicks in quickly to offer this tax benefit for supporting educational expenditures and significantly affects state general revenues,” he said.

A large education package passed a year ago has raised teacher salaries statewide with the help of general revenue and created a funding obligation of $200 million this year with all its provisions.

Kehoe has also indicated he will push to eliminate the state’s income tax. If the governor’s plan succeeds, Fajen said, there will be no money available for the rebate.

“It creates a lot of problems that you all will have to deal with through the budgeting process,” he said, “and that schools will have to deal with going forward.” 

The committee, which is chaired by Brattin, did not take action on the legislation Tuesday.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected].

Missouri lawmakers seek to restrict cell-phone use in high schools statewide

by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent
February 5, 2025

Missouri lawmakers are hoping to reduce cell-phone usage in schools with bipartisan legislation that would require school districts make a policy restricting mobile devices during instructional time.

State Reps. Kathy Steinhoff, a Columbia Democrat, and Jamie Gragg, a Republican from Ozark, presented similar bills in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Wednesday afternoon. The committee’s chair, GOP state Rep. Ed Lewis of Moberly, also has legislation that is nearly identical to Steinhoff’s.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Steinhoff told committee members. “When you look around our country, there are eight states that have initiated some kind of restriction on cell phones already. Some of them are red states. Some of them are blue states.”

According to Education Week, three states have a law restricting cell-phone use during instructional time, and five states have requirements that districts set policies restricting use. An additional 11 states have recommended policies and incentive programs for districts to establish restrictions.

Steinhoff and Gragg plan to combine their bills into a version that recommends or requires school districts to set policies prohibiting cell-phone use during instructional hours while allowing exceptions, like for students who use a mobile device for health reasons.

“I do believe in local control,” Gragg said. “I believe our school districts are all unique in their own special way, just like our communities are, and they need to make the policy that fits them the best.”

Gragg said he heard from teachers that have cell-phone policies in their classrooms that test scores improved.

Steinhoff, a retired math teacher, believes the bill will lead to “better engagement.”

“As somebody who was leading a classroom just two years ago, I can attest to the fact that some of our students really are almost addicted to their cell phones,” she said.

Administrators from the Cape Girardeau School District told committee members they established a zero-tolerance policy for cell phones in high schools in 2024.

James Russell, assistant superintendent of academic services for the district, said it has provided a “culture shift.”

“This year, after a full year of implementation at the high school, kids really came back ready to learn,” he said.

Lewis said the districts who have already established the policies can assist others.

“We aren’t going to be the ones that are going to be telling what policies those local school districts should implement,” Lewis said. “We’ve already got multiple pilots around the state that are already doing this, and that’s where they’re going to get those pilot policies from.”

State Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar, said the state should allow the districts leniency to create their own policies while giving support when needed.

“It needs to be in the school district’s hands. It should not be the state dictating anything, just offering a suggestion that they have a plan in place and offering them that support,” she said. “Because it is a big thing whenever school districts do this, and they get a lot of grief from parents and students.”

State Rep. Kem Smith, a Democrat from Florissant and a former English teacher, said parents often have valid points, like security concerns in case of a school shooting.

“I’ve been on lockdown with students who have survived that, and their parents have wanted to talk to them while we were in lockdown,” she said.

Gragg said schools would be able to decide “what they feel is best for their community,” so cell phones do not necessarily have to be out of the students’ possession.

The committee plans to combine the three lawmakers’ bills before voting to send them to the full House in a future hearing.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected].

Open enrollment bill gets public hearing after winning praise from Missouri governor

by Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent
January 29, 2025

A Republican lawmaker from Sedalia has once again begun his push to allow some students to enroll in schools outside the district where they live.

For the fifth year in a row on Wednesday, the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee debated an open enrollment bill sponsored by state Rep. Brad Pollitt. 

As he introduced the legislation, Pollitt called it the “only school-choice bill that allows students to make a choice and stay in the public school system.”

In the previous four years that Pollitt filed the bill, state lawmakers have prioritized programs allowing families to use state funds for homeschooling and to attend private schools. The state’s K-12 tax credit program, dubbed MOScholars, passed in 2021, and it was expanded last year in a sweeping education package.

Pollitt’s bill has cleared committee and made it out of the House four times. But it has never been debated by the Senate.

He addressed his bill’s four-year purgatory in Wednesday’s committee hearing, saying good legislation doesn’t completely please anyone.

“All four years I’ve passed this bill, neither side was happy. It didn’t go far enough or it went too far,” he said. “Sometimes Missouri does a disservice by looking for perfection and bypassing what is better.”

Pollitt’s legislation has evolved through the years of deliberation. The current version has a cap of 3% on the portion of students allowed to leave a district annually.

He also added language suggested by the Missouri High School Activities Association, which oversees competitive athletics in Missouri schools, that would restrict students who transfer into a new district from competing in sports for one year.

The bill does not require school districts to accept students living outside the area but, instead, has an opt-in structure. Receiving districts would get state funding for the students coming in, but local funds would remain with the district of residence.

Some testified Wednesday that they are concerned the legislation would become mandatory for school districts in the future.

“Our worry is in the future. A lot of (laws) tend to start as voluntary and become mandatory,” said Tammy Henderson, who represents the North Kansas City School District. “We are concerned about losing some of the local control.”

Steve Carroll, a former lawmaker who now lobbies for school districts, cited his experience in the Missouri House in critiquing the bill.

“If this bill passes, within two or three legislative sessions, there is going to be a bill that is going to mandate this,” he said. “Mark my word.” 

A majority of public comments were against the bill, and 220 school districts sent in a letter opposed to the legislation.

However, Pollitt’s proposal is not without its supporters — including Gov. Mike Kehoe, who included the bill in his State of the State speech Tuesday.

“To expand school choice, I urge the General Assembly to pass voluntary open enrollment in public schools,” he said.

Jordan Zachary, representing a national education nonprofit started by Jeb Bush called ExcelinEd, said Missouri’s neighbors already have open enrollment.

“We believe open enrollment to be one of those student-centered policies,”’ he said. “We do believe in giving students an opportunity to attend a school that best fits their needs.”

The bill would not require school districts to add accommodations for incoming students, and some worry the program would exclude students in special education.

Pollitt said he would work with Rep. Matthew Overcast, a Republican from Ava who serves on the education committee, to revise the bill to help students requiring accommodations. Overcast is an attorney with experience assisting students in special education.

The updated version would be presented to the committee before a vote.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected].

New Missouri governor focuses on crime, education, tax cuts in inaugural address 

by Rudi Keller, Missouri Independent
January 13, 2025

Controlling crime, expanding education options and cutting taxes will be the top priorities for Missouri, new Gov. Mike Kehoe said in his inauguration speech.

The brief speech, delivered before a crowd gathered on a cold, sunny day outside the Missouri Capitol, also traced the Republican’s journey from a north St. Louis home led by a single mother to the top political job in the state.

Instead of lamenting that she could not give her children the things richer families enjoyed, Kehoe said, she told them to pray and work harder.

“That’s been the guiding principle of my life,” Kehoe said Monday, after the oath of office was administered by former U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt. “Whenever we saw something that needed to be done, we didn’t complain. We prayed hard, and we worked hard.”

Other state officeholders sworn in Monday are David Wasinger, lieutenant governor, Denny Hoskins, secretary of state, Vivek Malek, state treasurer, and Andrew Bailey, attorney general. All are Republicans.

Kehoe, who will turn 63 on Friday, built a successful car dealership in Jefferson City before being appointed to the state Highways and Transportation Commission in 2005 by then-Gov. Matt Blunt. He made his first bid for public office with a run for the state Senate in 2010. The Republican was appointed to replace Mike Parson as lieutenant governor in 2018 after Parson was elevated to the governor’s office following the resignation of Eric Greitens.

“My life—growing up in the inner city, moving to a small town, building businesses, and operating a ranch—these experiences have taught me one thing: Missourians are more alike than we are different,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe won the governorship by prevailing in a hotly contested Republican primary in August and then easily defeating Democratic nominee Crystal Quade in November.

Monday’s speech didn’t offer many specifics on issues Kehoe said he wanted to address. During his campaign, he said he would address crime and cut taxes, including working to repeal the state income tax, during his four years in office.

Crime, Kehoe said, leaves people in fear and cuts down on productivity. He promised to issue executive orders later in the day to address specific issues facing law enforcement.

Mike Kehoe says he’s the only Missouri GOP gubernatorial candidate interested in governing

He also said he wanted to beef up police agencies.

“In the coming weeks, months and years,” he said, “my administration will be relentless in our pursuit to make Missouri a place where it’s easier to be a cop than a criminal.” 

On education, Kehoe indicated he wanted to build on legislation that last year expanded a tax credit used for private schools and allowed for establishment of a charter school in Boone County, as well as increasing base teacher pay.

“Securing Missouri’s future means strengthening public education and expanding school choice

so that every single student has the opportunity to get a world class education,” Kehoe said.

While Kehoe campaigned to eliminate the income tax, promising to start with a tax cut early in his administration, he did not endorse any of the proposals introduced so far in this year’s session as his preferred plan.

Several Republican members of the state Senate, for example, have filed bills to replace Missouri’s progressive income tax with a flat tax of 4%. Currently, Missourians pay 4.7% tax on the portion of their taxable income exceeding $8,900. 

“My administration will focus on reducing taxes and cutting regulations, so families keep more of their own money,” Kehoe said, “and so job creators want to come here, expand here and hire more hard-working Missourians.” 

Kehoe is the first sitting lieutenant governor to win the state’s top job since Democrat Mel Carnahan in 1993. Kehoe presided over the Senate for the final time a few hours before his noon inauguration and received a standing ovation when Senate Majority Leader Tony Luetkemeyer spoke of his 14 years as a senator and lieutenant governor.

“Our lieutenant governor has shown us how the Senate can benefit the leadership that prioritizes results over rhetoric,” Luetkemeyer said. “He’s a person focused on building bridges rather than burning them down.”

In his inaugural speech, Kehoe said he wanted to work for solutions and would remain open to proposals regardless of their source.

“This is my promise to you,” Kehoe said. “I will talk to anyone, work with anyone, and root for anyone who has a good idea to make our state safer, stronger, and better.”

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected].