Name: In historic vote, school choice proposal wins final approval in Missouri House
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In historic vote, school choice proposal wins final approval in Missouri House

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Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis.Last chance! Subscribe with this special offer to keep readingLoading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisIn historic vote, school choice proposal wins final approval in Missouri HouseShare thisJEFFERSON CITY — Proponents of a measure allowing students in the St. Louis area to draw scholarship funds in order to attend the school of their choice won a narrow victory in the Missouri House on Thursday, sending the proposal to the Senate for debate.The measure survived on an 82-71 vote, winning the minimum number of “yes” votes necessary to advance to the upper chamber. Thirty Republicans voted against the measure.Despite the bill winning support from three St. Louis Democrats in a preliminary vote on Wednesday, those three lawmakers were either absent or voted present in the final vote.Because major efforts to expand school choice have run aground for several years in Missouri, the vote Thursday was a historic one, and the first time House Speaker , R-Arnold, maneuvered a major bill that didn’t have wide consensus through the chamber as House speaker.“When can we change something?” Vescovo said on the House floor, shortly before members voted. “When can we not be scared of those guys (lobbyists) up there and do what we think is right?“Why can’t we get these kids when they’re 10 and 12 and 14? When they need us to grab them and put them in a better learning environment?” Vescovo said. “I don’t want to grow my prisons; I want to grow my research department at Mizzou. And I know you all do too.”The measure’s passage was met by applause from proponents.The proposal, sponsored by Rep. , R-St. Peters, establishes the “Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program.”It would allow private donors to give money to nonprofits that in turn would provide the scholarships, which could be used to pay for private school tuition, transportation to school and other education-related expenses. Donors to the program would get state tax credits equal to the amount they give.The proposal could mean $50 million less in tax collections per year once people claim the credit, according to a state analysis, causing opponents to worry the program would harm the state’s ability to fund other priorities while money flows to private entities.Rep. , D-St. Louis, successfully amended the measure Wednesday to tie the program’s creation to the state appropriating more money to school transportation costs.Lawmakers said the state currently reimburses districts for about a third of eligible costs, but the measure would require the state to appropriate enough to cover 40% of costs, resulting in potentially millions more dollars flowing to local school districts that have long complained about deteriorating bus fleets.But Rep. , R-Bonne Terre, said that just because the state appropriates more money to public school transportation doesn’t mean the money will actually be spent. Gov. Mike Parson has the ability to withhold spending if the state faces a budget crunch.Henderson was one of 30 GOP “no” votes.“The transportation (amendment) is nice,” he said. “But … that money is appropriated, not spent.”He also knocked the proposal’s price tag.“That’s a lot of money that’s going to be coming out of the budgets over the next five years that’s going to affect other things that we can do,” Henderson said.Vescovo said he was asking for a fraction of the overall state budget to be devoted to the program.In a bid to nail down support from some Republicans, the legislation on Wednesday was pared back so that only students in charter counties, or cities with more than 30,000 people, could participate — meaning students in St. Louis, and the counties of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson would be eligible in the St. Louis area, as well as students in the largest suburbs around Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia.Democratic critics said that if the program was good for the state, it should apply to the entire state.“If you think that this bill does not help your community, just imagine what it may do to mine,” said Rep. , D-Ferguson.The Senate, meanwhile, took up its own school choice proposal this week, which includes a list of other initiatives, including allowing charter schools in more than 50 additional school districts across the state.The upper chamber did not vote on its measure this week, but leaders could continue work on the package as soon as next week.Vescovo, after the vote, said it was a “huge win” for Missouri kids.“This is a huge win for the many children in Missouri who need and deserve a learning environment that can best meet their needs,” he said in a statement. “These scholarships will empower parents and give them options that will open the doors of opportunity for their kids.“I want to thank all of my colleagues who supported this transformative piece of legislation that is focused on doing what is best for our children,” Vescovo said.The legislation is .Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis.House Speaker Rob Vescovo speaks during debate on the “Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program” on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. (screengrab)State Rep. Raychel Proudie, of Ferguson, speaks during debate on the “Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program” on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

Stay up to date on life and culture in St. Louis.Last chance! Subscribe with this special offer to keep readingLoading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{tagline}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.© 2022 Lee EnterprisesShare ThisIn historic vote, school choice proposal wins final approval in Missouri HouseShare thisJEFFERSON CITY — Proponents of a measure allowing students in the St. Louis area to draw scholarship funds in order to attend the...

In historic vote, school choice proposal wins final approval in Missouri House

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