Senate passes bill with virtual school provisions

April 27, 2022

EVAN LASSETER

Missouri News Network

JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Senate passed a charter school funding bill on Wednesday that includes a provision proposed by Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, allowing students to enroll in virtual school programs without permission from their school districts.

It passed with some bipartisan support on a 29-5 vote.

"Twenty-nine votes in the Senate doesn't happen very often, especially on a package of that magnitude as it relates to education," Rowden said. "It reflected it being a really good compromise on that and the charter equity piece."

The original bill, HB1552, was amended in the Senate to include the virtual school measures. The changes stem from SB648, sponsored by Rowden, which he says are a small piece of the larger movement for parental rights in education.

The new provisions were a compromise that allow more partnership between school districts and virtual providers, Rowden said, but they ensure the virtual school program passed by the General Assembly in 2018 is operating as intended.

"Ultimately getting the final decision away from the entity that has the most to lose financially is something we were the most interested in," Rowden said, "because I do think school districts make decisions a lot of times based on money and not what's in the best interest of the kid."

Currently, students have to receive approval from their school district to attend virtual school. Just over 600 out of 6,000 applications for virtual school were approved by school districts last year, said Lynsie Hunt at the bill’s hearing. Hunt is a leader with Missouri Connections Academy, an online school.

Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, voted no on the bill Wednesday. At a hearing, Schupp said the measure undermines the public school system.

Dale Herl, superintendent of the Independence School District, opposed the bill in committee because public funding could cause districts to overpay for the costs of virtual education.

Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, said previously that his five children have different learning styles. One attends public school while others have home-school curriculums. Koenig sponsors the underlying bill for charter funding but supports the virtual school provision.

“I think for the vast majority of kids, virtual is not the appropriate way to school, Koenig said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s universally true for all kids. Every situation is different.”

The underlying bill, HB1552, would cost around $65 million to increase charter school funding. Six of the 10 Senate Democrats supported the bill, with Sens. Angela Mosley, D-Florissant, Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, Brian Williams, D-University City and Schupp voting no.

Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane, was the lone Republican in opposition. The updated Senate version now moves back to the House.