SB 1314 - Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, each parent or guardian of a child shall be afforded the opportunity at the time of school enrollment to direct that state aid for educating the child that would be used to educate the child at a school within the school district of residence shall be remitted to a qualified school, as defined in the act, of the parent or guardian's choice, if the parent or guardian chooses a school outside of the district of residence. A parent or guardian may also choose to enroll their student at a different school within the school district of residence. The State Treasurer shall create and provide to each school district a form for use by the parent or guardian at the time of enrollment to indicate the parent or guardian's choice as to the school their student will attend for that school year. The school district shall transmit the form to the State Treasurer. The school district shall also notify the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Upon receipt of the form, the State Treasurer shall remit state aid that would have been remitted to the school district of residence to the school chosen by the parent or guardian if such school is outside of the school district of residence. If the student enrolls in a school outside of the school district of residence, the student shall not be counted in the resident school district's weighted average daily attendance as a resident student. The state aid remitted to the school of choice shall be the lesser of the state adequacy target for the student or the amount of tuition at the qualified school. This act contains an emergency clause. This act is identical to SB 572 (2025) and substantially similar to SCS/SB 81 (2023). OLIVIA SHANNON

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mary Elizabeth Coleman

Missouri bill authorizes parental school choice, allowing families to select schools outside residential districts rather than district-assigned placement.

Second Read and Referred S Education Committee

Legislative bill overview

SB 1314 would authorize parents in Missouri to choose which school their children attend, rather than being assigned to schools based on residential district boundaries. The bill appears to establish or expand school choice provisions, allowing families greater flexibility in selecting educational institutions for their children.

Why is this important

School choice policies significantly affect educational access, equity, and funding across districts. This type of legislation influences how students are distributed among schools, which impacts school funding formulas, demographic composition of student bodies, and educational opportunities available to families with different resources and circumstances.

Potential points of contention

Funding impacts: Schools losing students may lose per-pupil funding, potentially creating financial pressure on under-resourced districts and widening educational inequities

Implementation logistics: Creating an effective choice system requires transportation solutions, information accessibility, and enrollment procedures that may disadvantage families with less capacity to navigate the system

Equity concerns: School choice policies can lead to stratification if affluent families have greater ability to select preferred schools, potentially leaving struggling schools with concentrated disadvantage