CCS HCS SS SCS SB 894 -- EDUCATION

This bill changes the laws regarding education.  In its main
provisions, the bill:

(1)  Requires school districts, except the St. Louis Special
School District, that have a levy lower than the performance levy
of $3.43 to certify to the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education that they are providing an adequate education.  If the
district asserts it is not providing an adequate education, the
presumption is that insufficient local effort is causing the
inadequacy (Section 163.021, RSMo);

(2)  Revises the summer school penalty to a three-step phase-out,
with the 2006-2007 threshold at 20%, 2007-2008 at 30%, and
subsequent years until 2011-2012 at 35%.  The penalty will be
applied to any drop in summer school enrollment over the
threshold level, rather than the entire drop from the base year
2005-2006 level.  Small schools, as defined in the bill, are
exempt from the penalty, and the penalty should not be construed
to lower the amount of a hold-harmless payment.  Summer school
hours in physical education classes for grades 9 to 12 that do
not count for graduation cannot be counted for summer school
average daily attendance.  The formula adjustment for local
effort is revised to reflect decreases in local revenue from the
possible creation of a municipal court in St. Charles County on
school districts located entirely within that county (Sections
163.011 and 163.031);

(3)  Requires districts to adopt anti-bullying policies
containing elements specified in the bill.  The bill defines
"bullying" and prohibits the listing of protected classes of
students (Section 160.775);

(4)  Requires the department to initiate a ready to work
certificate for high school seniors who volunteer to meet
standards that indicate they are ready for entry-level employment
(Section 1);

(5)  Establishes procedures for the City of St. Louis School
District to report excessive absences, as defined in the bill, to
the Children's Division within the Department of Social Services
for parental notification (Section 2); and

(6)  Allows the State Board of Education to declare a district
unaccredited if the district has been unaccredited within the
last five years, achieved provisional accreditation, and goes
back to unaccredited status.  The lapse of the district will
occur on June 30 or at a later date, as specified by the board.
This provision becomes effective January 1, 2010 (Section 3).

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated November 29, 2006 at 9:46 am