JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri students and their families could soon be allowed to go to school outside of the district they live in. 

This is the fourth year in a row representatives passed the “Public School Open Enrollment Act,” sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia. Wednesday’s vote was even closer than years previous, but it also brought many concerns about the impact this will have on school districts and communities, causing them to consolidate or possibly even close. 

“This bill will destroy my community; this bill will destroy my school,” Rep. Marlene Terry, D-St. Louis, said on the House floor. “Until you can tell me how you’re going to fix the environment and the education in the public school system to where my children sit, I’m going to continually be against this bill.”

A recurring topic was the worry of leaving some districts behind. The bill, which passed 86-73 Wednesday, had more than two dozen Republicans siding with the Democrats in voting no. 

“I’m not in favor of this bill because it doesn’t solve the problem,” Rep. Barbara Phifer, D-St. Louis, said. “It’s a lot of work for a very, very small number of children. We don’t know it will actually make a difference in their education.”

Those in favor of allowing students to pick the public school of their choice say rivalry between districts is a good thing. 

“This is a great country,” Pollitt said. “It’s been built on competition; I don’t know why we’ve been concerned about that.”

Under House Bill 1989, districts would not be required to opt in, but students would still be allowed to transfer out. The number of students that could move away would be based on the previous school year, allowing up to 3% of the district’s enrollment to transfer. Schools would be allowed to set the number of students they are willing to enroll. 

“I believe open enrollment is a step in the right direction in educational reform for offering some choice and accountability within the public school system,” Pollitt said. “This keeps all the public school students that are presently in public schools in the public school system.”

Students would only be allowed to transfer once each school year but could return to their original district. The legislation does not require districts to add staff or programs, like special education, to accommodate transfer students. 

“From there, I believe it also helps superintendents to be able to lean into being the best they possibly can be in recognizing sometimes we’re not where we want to be,” Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, said. “It’s a move in the right direction.”

Others believe the first bill passed by the House this year should have focused on teacher recruitment and retention instead. 

“It doesn’t address anything that all of us have very serious concerns about actually improving student achievement,” Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, said. “When we get rid of those boundaries, all of a sudden, that very fabric of a community starts to break down as those connections are no longer there.”

New to the legislation this year is the creation of an online portal for districts to track the number of open enrollment students. School districts must declare they are participating in the program by Dec. 1 and publish the number of transfer students they are willing to receive for the following school year. 

Transportation would be the parents’ responsibility unless the child qualifies for free and reduced lunch or has a transportation plan under an individualized education plan (IEP). According to the legislation, the cost to implement would be $80 million, which would go towards the Parent Public School Choice Fund, which could go towards transportation needs. 

The “Public School Open Enrollment Act” would prohibit student athletes who transfer to wait a year before becoming eligible at their new school. 

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s died in years past. However, Senate Republicans say open enrollment is a priority for them this session. If the bill passes both chambers and is signed by the governor, the program would not begin until the 2025–2026 school year.