1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

HB 711 (Pollitt), SB 70 (Gregory), and SB 215 (Trent), the Public School Open Enrollment Act, pose a significant threat to the stability and equity of Missouri’s public education system and must be opposed. While the bills claim to promote parental choice and improve educational opportunities, they do so at the expense of our public schools, particularly those in underfunded and underserved communities. By allowing students to transfer to nonresident districts without requiring those districts to expand resources, the bills will exacerbate existing inequities and divert critical funding away from schools that need it most. Public schools rely on per-pupil funding to operate, and when students leave, they take that funding with them. This creates a vicious cycle where struggling schools lose resources, making it even harder for them to provide quality education to the students who remain. These bills effectively defund public schools, leaving them with fewer resources to support teachers, maintain facilities, and offer essential programs. Furthermore, the bills' creation of the “Parent Public School Choice Fund” is a misguided use of taxpayer dollars. Instead of investing this money directly into improving underperforming schools, the fund will subsidize transportation and special education costs for students transferring to nonresident districts. This approach prioritizes the needs of a select few over the collective good of all students. It is particularly concerning that the bills do not require nonresident districts to expand their capacity to accommodate transfer students, meaning that schools in high-demand areas may become overcrowded, while others are left with dwindling enrollment and resources. This will only deepen the divide between well-funded and struggling districts, further entrenching educational inequities across the state. These bills fail to address the root causes of educational disparities in Missouri. Rather than investing in programs that support teacher retention, reduce class sizes, and provide equitable resources to all schools, these bills incentivize families to leave struggling schools behind. This approach abandons the students who cannot or choose not to transfer, leaving them in underfunded and under-resourced environments. Missouri has a long history of valuing quality education. Black Missourians in St. Louis docked a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi river to create the Floating Freedom School and secure their education in the mid-1800s. German immigrants to Missouri in the 1800s made kindergarten a national standard. Unfortunately, we've gone backwards in recent years and now rank at the bottom of the nation in education due to misguided bills like these. I urge you to oppose all these bills and fully fund and support public schools and teachers to provide a free quality education to all of Missouri's children, allowing them to learn, grow, and thrive.