Missouri House passes plan to fix student transfer law

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A plan to fix Missouri's flawed student transfer system has narrowly passed the House.

House members voted 84-73 on Tuesday for the bill, only two votes shy of defeating the measure.

The state's current student transfer law requires struggling districts to pay tuition for students to switch to better-performing schools, which has caused a financial hardship for some.

The bill passed by the House would accredit schools by building, instead of by district. Students in failing schools would first transfer to accredited buildings within their district, with the goal of keeping them and tuition dollars close to home.

Additional charter and virtual school options were among the top issues of contention in the House.

If the full Senate approves the measure, it will head to Gov. Jay Nixon.