I am “come back in the house at least twice to get things I forgot” each morning years old at this point. Probably start taking a silver vitamin or something.
Education will be front and center in Jefferson City this year. This column often points out that nearly no one cares what happens in Jefferson City until it’s too late. There is just an odd level of disinterest in state government, despite the huge impact it has on our daily lives.
The needle may move on that in the coming months as education begins to be front and center. School choice bills are piling up in committees and such and if passed, they could change a lot more than education. I’m fascinated by the impacts that might transpire from bills that promote varying forms of school choice. House Bill 253 and Senate Bill 5 would allow students to transfer to other public schools without being residents. The current bill allows districts to opt in or choose not to participate in the transfers to their districts.
Josh Hurlbert from neighboring Clay County has introduced a bill that would require school districts to allow homeschooled students to try out for their activities and sports.
There are a myriad of proposals floating throughout Jefferson City and in totality they generally take aim at the current public schools monopoly on education. The ultimate goal of many school choice advocates is the elimination of restrictive school boundaries and the direction of the money associated with those boundaries. Allowing students/families their choice of schools and have the money associated with the student move to the district of their choosing is the ultimate prize that they are championing.
The chaos that legislation with such sweeping change would be exhilarating to many and would permanently change the course of public education in Missouri.
Open-ended type school choice that would allow the money to follow the student would forever alter many things. High school sports would never be the same. There are certainly groups of parents who would shepherd their youth volleyball team or youth basketball, football and all types of teams into the same district, essentially taking their “travel” teams to the same school, even though they don’t live in the same district. Housing valuations would shift with open enrollment. School districts can play significant roles in housing value because of the demand to live in certain districts. If that “demand” is no longer created by school district boundaries, you will see a shift. Some for the good and some in the other direction. Teacher compensation might have to be altered. Districts with exceptional teaching programs in co-curricular type subjects like debate, music, theatre, etc. may have to compensate excellence because of the influx of students seeking to be in those programs.
Many believe that the “school choice” crowd is about directing public money to private schools. That is certainly where the power brokers behind the proposals are currently. The Herzog Foundation is throwing tons of money promoting this type of “school choice;” essentially private school voucher programs. The true “movement” for school choice will actually come from the masses and that won’t be private school proponents, instead it will be the run of the mill parents that seek open enrollment districts. When the people who live in Kansas City North that can choose Platte County, Staley, Park Hill, Smithville, Kearney or smaller schools further north regardless of their address, that will be the true game changer in education.
I usually write about Punxsutawney Phil at this time of year, but honestly, I hate that little bastard. This has been an easy winter and I feel like he’s just desperate to try to make something of it before it is too late. It’s too late. We are mid-February and have had very little bad weather and the old timers will tell you that we are entering the “it can snow but it won’t stick around long” stage of winter. I’m grateful for such a soft winter, but my common sense tells me I need to dread the next couple.
(Guy Speckman cannot be reached. He is dutifully studying education bills and attending a parade in Kansas City)