It is common that every five to ten years, school districts will redraw school boundary lines due to growth in the district, attendance changes, and other factors. When these lines are redrawn, students get shuffled around. The Columbia School Board recently redrew boundaries for many of its elementary schools and has announced plans to transfer around 900 students for the 2022–2023 school year.

Leaving aside issues of fit, school culture, student friendships, and other factors, some of these transfers don’t seem to be problematic. For example, some students will be transferred out of New Haven (a school with around 40–44 percent of students meeting proficiency levels in math) to Rock Bridge (a school with around 58 percent of students meeting math proficiency). Other students will be transferred from Shepard Boulevard (math proficiency: 31 percent) to Cedar Ridge (math proficiency: 55–59 percent). These could be positive changes for the students.

But other students will be transferred to schools that perform significantly worse than the schools they currently attend. Some Midway Heights students (math proficiency: 70–74 percent) will be transferred to West Boulevard (math proficiency: 35–39 percent). These kids are transferring from a class where 7 out of 10 students are performing at grade level to a class where 7 out of 10 are not. To think that this will not affect these students’ futures is absurd.

The fact that students can be forcibly shuffled to other schools is an artifact of assigning children to schools based on their addresses. While parents can technically appeal a transfer, slots need to be filled, so the success of an appeal is far from guaranteed. Rather than being able to choose the school where their children can receive the best education, parents watch as their children are assigned to the school that matches their boundary lines—lines that can be erased and redrawn every few years.

The current educational system thwarts parents even when they make intentional decisions and sacrifices to live in areas so their children can attend better schools. This injustice illustrates the importance of school choice. Education Savings Accounts, charter schools, and other school choice programs could help families escape situations like this by giving them the freedom and resources to pursue the education they want for their children instead of being stuck inside school boundary lines drawn by bureaucrats.

The post The Student Shuffle appeared first on Show-Me Institute.

Much has been written about the newly signed HB 349. For those who don’t know, HB 349 creates scholarships for families to use for their children’s education. The scholarships will be funded from taxpayer donations, and in exchange donors will get a credit on their state taxes. The scholarship funds can go toward private school tuition, books, tutoring, or other education-related costs. (The program basically works as a kind of Education Savings Account.) Legislators are realizing that education may need to be different for each student, and this program will give parents the resources to pursue the best education for their children in whatever unique form that might take.

But this opportunity is only available to Missouri citizens in cities with more than 30,000 people. Eligible students (low-income students and those with disabilities) in the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, as well as the areas around Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia will be able to benefit from this program. Not so for families living anywhere else in Missouri. Some critics argued in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that “if the program was good for the state, it should apply to the entire state,” The implication being that since the program wasn’t adopted for every city, there must be something wrong with it.

But it’s not a bad program. There’s just more work to be done convincing other areas (especially rural communities) of the benefits of school choice. The Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program is good for the state, and it should apply to the entire state. All of Missouri’s families, urban and rural, should be given the opportunity to pursue the best education for their children.

The post HB 349 Creates Opportunity (For Some) appeared first on Show-Me Institute.

In a May 2021 national poll about education, parents were asked two times if they supported education savings accounts (ESAs), school vouchers, and charter schools. The first time, parents were just given the name of each program, and each of these policies received less than 50 percent support (44 percent for ESAs, 40 percent for school vouchers, and 47 percent for charter schools).

The second time, the poll included a brief description of each policy. Suddenly support grew to over 60 percent for all three policies (69 percent for ESAs, 62 percent for school vouchers, and 62 percent for charter schools). It seems that once parents understood what these policies meant, many changed their minds.

Without explanations, perhaps some confuse charter schools with snooty private schools or have no idea what ESAs are. But with just a brief explanation, many parents saw these policies as providing value and opportunity for students.

Educating ourselves and others on education policy topics such as ESAs, school vouchers, and charter schools can help people make more informed decisions.  I’d encourage you to check out (and share!) the Show-Me Institute researchers’ explanations of each of these topics (such as this infographic on various school choice policies). Sometimes, a brief explanation is enough to make a difference.

The post School Choice Options Becomes More Popular When People Know What They Are appeared first on Show-Me Institute.

On June 8th, legislation was approved in the City of Clayton to allow more freedom and flexibility for mobile food vending equipment. Previously, food trucks could serve closed groups at private events, but they could only serve the public on their own property. That essentially allows food trucks to do the “food” part of their name but not the “truck” part.

This new legislation allows food trucks to operate at public events outside downtown Clayton with an approved special events application, expanding a food truck’s market to include block parties, neighborhood gatherings, and similar events. The legislation also lifts the prohibition on individual cash payments at these events.

Current permit requirements remain (temporary merchant permits, right of way permits, special events permits, etc.) and safe use of streets and sidewalks remains a priority. While food trucks still cannot serve the general public in downtown Clayton (unless the food truck is on its own property), these changes mark significant progress. This legislation is a good move for food truck vendors and customers.

The post Clayton Expands Opportunities for Food Trucks appeared first on Show-Me Institute.