MoVIP Program Could Bring Advanced Coursework to Missouri Students

Posted on by Susan Pendergrass

What’s so important about STEM education? For one thing, it’s a pathway to a high-paying job. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs are growing twice as fast as non-STEM jobs. STEM workers are solving many of our most complex problems; as a result, they earn higher incomes and have a major impact on our economic growth.

So, what does the STEM education landscape look like in Missouri? The Education Commission of the States has a Vital Signs database that tracks whether states give students “equitable access to high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational experiences.” According to this database, STEM jobs will grow by nine percent in Missouri over the next ten years, including an expected growth of 14 percent in advanced manufacturing jobs. In Missouri, STEM jobs earn, on average, over $34 per hour, compared to $18 per hour for non-STEM jobs.

Unfortunately, in 2013-14, over 30 percent of high school students in Missouri did not have access to Calculus courses, about 20 percent had no access to Physics, and 10 percent couldn’t access Chemistry. In terms of college readiness for STEM, just 5 percent of Missouri high school students took an AP math exam in 2015 and 6 percent took an AP science exam. By comparison, 14 percent of high school students nationwide took an AP math or science exam that year. These data are from a federal data collection, and they match the results of research by Show-Me Institute staff. In the 2015-16 school year, of the school districts in Missouri that had high schools, 40 percent had no students enrolled in advanced Physics or Calculus and over 60 percent had none enrolled in AP courses.

Are these numbers we’re willing to live with? If not, what can be done? Given that just 17 percent of Missouri 8th-graders have math teachers who majored in math and 36 percent have science teachers who majored in science, it’s not likely that we will be able to staff our way out of this any time soon. The good news is that we have the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP)—an underused online course program that could be offered to all high school students in Missouri who don’t have full access to STEM or other courses. Districts can arrange for students to take a course through MoVIP and cover the tuition. Under this scenario, a district could be expected to pay about $450 for a course per semester, and they would be free to negotiate lower rates if, for example, they have several students in the same course. Picking up the tuition for students who successfully complete an online course is a much more cost-effective solution for districts, and it can have a big impact on students’ opportunities.

As we celebrate National School Choice Week, we need to recognize that too many of our high school students have no choice when it comes to STEM classes. The structure to give them access is already in place, and this could be an easy way to meet a vital need.

On Charter Schools, Let Families-not Politicians-Decide

Posted on by Emily Stahly

This year marks 20 years since Missouri enacted the law that allowed charter schools to open in St. Louis and Kansas City. Currently enrolling 22,000 students, charter schools have given much-needed options to families in these districts that have struggled historically. Unfortunately, families in the rest of Missouri are denied the same opportunity to send their children to schools that better fit their needs

As we kick off National School Choice Week, it is worth remembering that charter schools are designed to meet the needs and wants of families through innovation and flexibility. Whether parents and children want an academically stronger school, a safer school environment, or a school with a particular mission or focus, families should be the driving factor for when and where charter schools open.

Simply put, Missouri is letting down its students by functionally limiting charter schools to only two districts in the state. There is proposed legislation that would purportedly expand the ability to open new charter schools, but it places other conditions on where charter schools may open:

1.      A district must have at least 2,800 students—which is only 75 out of over 500 districts in Missouri.

2.      A district must have at least one school building that scored 68% or less on the Annual Performance Report for two of the last three years.

3.      The charter school can only serve the same grades as the school that meets the above criterion.

4.      The charter school must give preference to students living in the attendance zone of the struggling school.

5.      The charter school must apply to the local school board for sponsorship first.

This bill also creates rules for closing charter schools based on the results of their Annual Performance Review rather than the charter school’s performance contract with its sponsor. Overall, these provisions undermine the charter school model: more freedom in exchange for strong performance. Missouri’s charter school laws currently have our state ranked 30th out of the 44 states by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. We can do better for students by allowing for a strong charter school market that is responsive to the demands of families, not distant government officials.

If parents in a particular area are happy with their neighborhood school, that’s great! Charter school operators will most likely not try to open a school there. On the other hand, if a significant number of families want an alternative to their traditional public school, shouldn’t they have that option available?

This week, there will be over 30,000 events nationwide celebrating the educational opportunities that charter schools and other school choice programs have given students. By allowing charter schools to serve more communities in Missouri, we could see even more families joining the celebrations in the years to come.   

How Will Expanded Use of 529 Accounts Affect Missouri’s Budget?

Posted on by Joseph Haslag

The federal tax reform bill is likely to have many consequences, intended and unintended. One intended consequence is that it expands the use of funds in 529 education savings accounts beyond college expenses to K-12 expenses. If parents open these accounts for their children and add money to them, they can withdraw those funds when needed for education expenses without paying taxes on what the savings have earned. In addition, in states that allow it, deposits to these accounts can be deducted from income on state forms, thereby lowering the tax bills of savers.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch cited an analysis of the impact this change could have on state coffers which found that Missouri tax revenue could drop by as much as $42 million dollars once all private school parents open these accounts and route their child’s tuition through them in order to reduce their state taxable income. That amount is dramatically higher than the likely reality, because it depends on several conditions being met.

First, every current private school student would suddenly have to have one of these accounts with enough funds to cover tuition. Second, in order to take the maximum deduction, all private school students would need to have married parents who file their taxes jointly. And third, all of those parents would need to have a marginal tax rate that is higher than the average for the state.

It is more likely that the impact would be about $32 million. We get this by multiplying the number of students enrolled in private elementary schools in Missouri by the average private elementary school tuition in Missouri ($6,800) and most (75 percent) private high school students by the average high school tuition of  $11,500, with the remaining 25 percent of students taking the maximum benefit allowed for a single filer in Missouri of $8,000. Further, we use the average marginal tax rate in the state, which is 3.6 percent.

And while it is unlikely that a tax break of $500 or so would be enough to induce public school parents to switch to private schools, any who did would essentially save the state money. They would pay $500 less on their tax bill, but their child’s education bill would no longer be paid for with public dollars.

It makes sense to try to anticipate the impact of federal tax reform on state tax revenue, but it needs to be done in a sensible way.

Release the Amazon Bids!

Posted on by Patrick Tuohey

Amazon has released a list of their top 20 contenders for their new headquarters. Neither Kansas City nor Saint Louis made the cut.

Previously, both cities refused to publicly release the details of their bids, including what tax incentives they were offering, claiming that Amazon required confidentiality. Some have questioned whether that is a legitimate claim. But regardless, both cities should, in the name of transparency, release the entirety of their proposals. Maintaining faith in government requires no less.

3:50 pm:  CBS-St. Louis/KMOX News has posted St. Louis’ Amazon HQ2 proposal.

School Choice: Missouri’s Students and Parents Deserve More

Posted on by Susan Pendergrass

It is one of the most important decisions for parents to make—where to send their children to school. Some parents even pick up and move to the school district they desire, but of course this is impossible for many middle and low-income families. This week is National School Choice Week, which celebrates programs that offer parents and students options and trust them to tailor their education to suit their needs. It stands as a stark reminder of how far Missouri lags behind other states in offering real educational choice to our families, many of whom live in poor urban neighborhoods or isolated rural communities.

There are nearly one million public school students in Missouri. And, with the exception of the 50,000 students who attend public charter schools or magnet schools, a vast majority of them have exactly one choice for where they will get their education. That “choice” is based on the address on their mailbox. Imagine if that were the case for every child’s medical care – a doctor assigned to them based on where they live.

Missouri does have charter schools—but only in two cities and as punishment for low test scores. In most states, charter schools can open wherever there are teachers, school leaders, parents or community organizers with an innovative vision and a willingness to be held accountable for results. Parents in these states can choose charter schools with unique approaches, from personalized learning to a focus on the classics, and many others in between. In a 2014 survey, 15 percent of Missouri parents responded that they would choose a charter school if they could select any type of school, including private schools. By comparison, charter schools in Missouri currently enroll less than two percent of our public school students.

Beyond charter schools, eighteen states have organizations that grant tax-credit funded scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools. Six states directly give parents a portion of their child’s state funding to purchase educational services, such as tuition or tutoring. And sixteen states provide scholarship money for parents to choose a private school. Missouri does not offer parents any of these choices.

Children are unique, and parents should be able to chart the right course for their children to reach their potential. This week there will be more than 32,000 celebrations of school choice across America. Isn’t it time for Missouri to step up and expand the options available to parents, so that our state has a real reason to celebrate?

2018 Blueprint: Certificate of Need

Posted on by Patrick Ishmael

THE PROBLEM: Missouri’s Certificate of Need (CON) law restricts health care competition by requiring many health care providers to get state approval before entering new markets or expanding services offered in existing facilities. This restriction hampers innovative start-ups and market newcomers that would provide Missourians care. It also puts upward pressure on health care prices.

THE SOLUTION: Repeal the Certificate of Need law.

Eliminating CON requirements would allow Missourians to benefit from true marketplace competition in the health care arena.

WHO ELSE DOES IT? California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming have no CON law.

THE OPPORTUNITY: Missouri would join a growing list of states that have opened the door to real health care competition.

KEY POINTS

  • CON laws separate patients who need care from doctors who want to provide it.
  • More competition would create pressure to reduce health care prices.
  • Missouri would be able to compete with nearby states, including Kansas, where smaller hospitals are opening up because they aren’t restricted by CON laws.
  • CON reform is an opportunity to help communities threatened by the loss of existing hospitals.
  • Ending CON would empower patients to make choices that benefit their families, rather than support the government-backed competitive advantages of hospitals.

SHOW-ME INSTITUTE RESOURCES

Essay: Demand Supply: Why Licensing Reform Matters to Improving American Health Care

Blog Post: Missouri’s Certificate of Need Law Needs to Go

 

For a printable version of this article, click on the link below. You can also view the entire 2018 Missouri Blueprint online.

2018 Blueprint: Charter School Expansion

Posted on by Michael Q. McShane

THE PROBLEM: Demand for charter schools in Missouri is at an all-time high. Unfortunately, for practical purposes charter schools are limited to the Kansas City and Saint Louis School Districts. Establishing a charter school is nearly impossible in any district that meets minimum state accreditation requirements. Tens of thousands of students are denied the opportunity for a better education.

THE SOLUTION: Expand charter schools statewide.

Charter schools should be allowed in districts regardless of whether the district meets minimum state accredi­tation standards. Per-student funding should be the same for both charter school and traditional public school students. Demand among families and charter school authorizers like uni­versities should determine where and when charter schools open in Mis­souri.

WHO ELSE DOES IT?

Over 6,900 charter schools operate in 43 states and the Dis­trict of Columbia, serving more than 3.1 million students. States like Indiana place no caps on the number of charter schools and fund charters and traditional public schools at equal or nearly equal levels. Unlike Missouri, almost all other states allow charter schools to operate anywhere.

THE OPPORTUNITY: Charter schools are growing. Over 23,000 students enrolled in charter schools in Missouri for the 2016–2017 school year—an 11% increase from the previous year. University Academy, one of the top-performing charter schools in the state, has a waitlist of 700 students. The demand is there. Simply by getting government out of the way, we can offer students a way out of underperforming schools and into schools they want to attend.

KEY POINTS

  • Thousands of Missouri students are trapped in poor schools due to needless restrictions on school choice.
  • Allowing charter school expansion will meet demand from families, not bureaucrats.
  • School choice has a proven track record elsewhere in the country.

SHOW-ME INSTITUTE RESOURCES

Essay: Expanding Charter Schooling in Missouri

Blog Post: Charter Schools Boost College Completion

Blog Post: No, Charter Schools Don’t Push Out Kids Who Are Too Hard to Educate

Blog Post: The Charter School Discipline Problem That Isn’t

 

For a printable version of this article, click on the link below. You can also view the entire 2018 Missouri Blueprint online.

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