SCHOOL REFORM IMPOSES STATE'S AUTHORITY

The Outstanding Schools Act, also known as Senate Bill 380, was passed in 1993 and is the most consequential piece of school funding legislation passed in many years. In two of the three years since its passage, there have been major cleanup bills. Most recently these included Senate Bill 795, passed just this year, which is forcing the closure of a New Madrid County school. In Parma, approximately 120 kindergarten through fifth-grade students are affected and will attend classes at Matthews beginning next fall.

Simply stated, SB 380 and its progeny rewrote the formula for distributing state money to local school districts according to the dubious principle of "The more you spend, the more you get." Prior to this year's legislation, the New Madrid County R-1 District was one of approximately 100 districts that weren't required to comply with the state-mandated spending requirements. That changed with SB 795. Additional spending in the amount of $370,865 would be required if the school at Parma were to be kept open. This is your tax money, folks!

The school district officials faced a Hobson's choice and, after consulting with state officials and considering every possible alternative, made the only decision they reasonably could have. What really galls is that local district officials, once largely self-governing, now find themselves trapped inside the straitjacket of tightening state control. It is now official state policy to say to local school districts, "The more you spend, the more you get." Behold the bitter legacy of the Outstanding Schools Act.