SB 260 AIDS METRO SCHOOLS; RURAL SCHOOLS GET LITTLE MORE

The Cape Girardeau School District is the only district in Cape Girardeau County that would get more state money if Missouri Senate Bill 360 becomes law. How much more it would get is unknown.

Missouri's commissioner of education, Dr. Robert Bartman, said Thursday the reallocation of desegregation money through the bill would mean St. Louis and Kansas City would get much of the money -- about half -- while all other districts would share the other half.

Some Southeast Missouri school districts would get more money but metropolitan areas would get the lion's share.

The bill would reallocate on the basis of poverty educational funding that currently goes to desegregation programs in St. Louis and Kansas City when desegregation funding ends.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Harold Caskey, D-Butler, is also called the Keeping Kids First Act. About $170 million annually in desegregation funding would be redesignated to schools having a high ratio of students who qualify for free- and reduced-price lunch programs. Those districts, which supposedly have a high poverty level, would receive funding to improve facilities and quality of instruction.

Bartman was a member of the ad hoc committee that formulated much of the basis of the bill. He said roughly half of the proposed desegregation savings -- about $85 million -- would be shared between St. Louis County, St. Louis City and Kansas City school districts.

Although those districts would lose money for desegregation, they would get a large amount of the diverted money because they would be considered poor districts. The other half of the savings would be distributed among all other school districts in the state.

Other than the Cape Girardeau School District, other districts in the county would not get more money or would get very little more because of low numbers of students who get free- and reduced-price lunches.

"One of the things that happens is that they make these bills so complicated they slip something through on you that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the bill," said Jackson superintendent of schools Dr. Howard Jones. "This is just something we'll have to watch."

Most other local school officials contacted said they didn't have much information on the bill and were unable to discuss its effects.

"Part of the intent is to more specifically designate where desegregation savings might go," said Bartman. He said it is an attempt on the part of state government to give federal judges involved in desegregation cases an alternative.

REALLOCATING DESEGREGATION MONEY

SB 360 would reallocate desegregation funding and makes many revisions to existing school laws. Some highlights of the bill include:

USE OF RIVERBOAT GAMING PROCEEDS

Redirects excess riverboat receipts to fund formula entitlements or the School Building Revolving Fund.

FAILING SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Provides for special administrative boards to be appointed for lapsed school districts (those that fail the MSIP review). Assigns a number of duties and powers to the boards.

VOLUNTARY INTERDISTRICT ENROLLMENT

Allows school districts in Jackson, Clay, Platte and St. Louis counties and St. Louis City to accept and enroll non-resident students. The receiving district would receive the greater of the state aid that would be paid to the district or the sending district on the basis of the attendance of such students.

SCHOOL FINANCE

Revises state school aid formula definitions to be based upon the average of the second and third preceding years. New terms include "fiscal instructional ratio of efficiency", "graduation rate", and "poverty concentration ratio".

CATEGORICAL AID FOR HIGH POVERTY DISTRICTS

Revises language dealing with the free and reduced price lunch eligible pupil categorical aid and provides additional boost in proportion to the district's graduate rate over five percent of the state average graduation rate.

SCHOOL FUNDS

Permits a district to borrow between the teachers', incidental and capital projects funds so long as the transfer is repaid during the same school year.

SCHOOL BUDGET REPORTING

Revises school budget requirements.

USE OF CATEGORICAL AID

Partially funds the "Children At-Risk in Education Program" under line 14(b) of the formula.

SCHOOL BUILDING REVOLVING FUND

Revises fund so that projects are ranked and highest ranking projects are funds first. Rankings based on uninsured costs due to fire or natural disaster; growth from third to fifth preceding year over 12 percent; growth from 13 to third preceding year over 20 percent; age of construction or renovation of buildings in use; and fraction of bonding capacity used. Includes terms and penalties.

ST. LOUIS CITY PRINCIPALS

Removes tenure as a principal for administrators in St. Louis City.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

Sets up guidelines for charter schools sponsored by school district boards in all school districts.

LOCAL TAXES FOR EDUCATION

Creates guidelines for education earnings tax in St. Louis City, Kansas City and Jackson County.

MISSOURI TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Establishes a "Missouri Tuition Assistance Program", to be administered by local school district to provide scholarships for Missouri citizens to attend a Missouri college, university or vocational or technical school of their choice. Sets up guidelines and funding procedures.