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Bill Summary · HB 2584

Purpose and overall intent

  • HB 2584 seeks to overhaul and expand the framework for elementary and secondary education in Missouri, with a heavy emphasis on charter schools and private schools participating in state-funded programs. It repeals and enacts new provisions related to charters, assessments, accountability, and funding, while also adjusting credentialing and staffing rules for charter and private schools.
  • The bill aims to increase oversight, set explicit performance measures, and broaden flexibility via waivers and reform of the accountability system.

Key provisions and changes

Charter schools

  • Establishes a comprehensive charter regime with explicit requirements for charters, including:
    • Required performance contracts detailing mission, governance, finances, personnel, calendars, student services, discipline/admission policies, special education, and contingency plans (Sections 160.405 et al.).
    • Charter approval processes: sponsor review within 90 days; state board review within 60 days if sponsor denies; priority to charters serving high-risk students or dropout reentry (subsection 2).
    • State board approval/denial timeline and criteria; sponsor monitoring plans to assess academic performance (subsections 3).
    • Nonsectarian operation; compliance with health, safety, and state standards; financial accountability with annual audits; liability insurance; L.E.A.-type status and grant conditions (subsection 4).
    • Detailed pupil performance measures and annual reporting; flexibility for high-risk/alternative charters to use tailored performance metrics (subsection 4).
    • Alternative graduation credit arrangements (off-campus, embedded credit, internships) with state board approval; DESE study after three years (subsection 5).
    • Charter amendments allowed with sponsor approval; potential conversion to local educational agency (LEA) status (subsection 6).
    • Annual sponsor review of compliance with performance contracts and statutory standards (subsection 7).
    • Grounds for sponsor intervention or charter revocation, including underperformance, fiscal mismanagement, or legal violations; processes for hearings and appeals to the state board (subsection 8).
    • Renewal determinations based on objective evidence, including performance, financial viability, and accreditation trajectory; potential expedited renewal (subsection 9).
    • District may lease facilities to a charter; protections against unlawful reprisals for charter applications (subsection 10-11).
    • Charter school board members subject to liability standards; charter boards may participate in the public entity risk management fund (subsection 12).
    • Charters and management entities considered quasi-public bodies; enhanced public access to records (subsection 13-15).

Staffing and certification

  • 160.420 and 168.011:
    • Charters and participating private schools must meet procurement, wage, and contractual standards akin to districts, with some carveouts.
    • Noncertificated instructional staff permitted at charter schools up to 10% of full-time equivalent (FTE), down from 20% in current law; foreign-language immersion charters may exceed the 10% cap if teachers hold credentials from the country of training (subsection 2).
    • All instructional staff must meet background checks (criminal history and Family Care Safety Registry).

Assessments and standards

  • 160.518 introduces a statewide, flexible assessment system designed for problem-solving, analytical and applied performance; it emphasizes performance-based measures, avoids rote memorization, and will align with standards set in 160.514.
  • The system will track performance against prior results and may incorporate grade-level equivalence metrics (see 160.518 and 160.522).
  • Development of grade-level equivalence metrics to describe student readiness for next grade; data will be public in a de-identified form via the accountability system (160.518 and 160.522).

Accountability and reporting

  • 160.522 requires annual school accountability report cards for districts, private schools, and charter schools, with standard metrics such as accreditation, enrollment, attendance, dropout/graduation rates, suspensions/expulsions, student-teacher ratios, staff experience, test scores, ACT participation, salaries, expenditures, gifted education status, and postsecondary outcomes.
  • Data may be disclosed on a building/district level but not personally identifiable.

A+ Schools Program

  • 160.545 reaffirms the A+ Schools Program, detailing grant criteria, district partnership requirements with business and community stakeholders, and expectations for graduation readiness, college credit, and workforce pathways.
  • Grants funded from the program and subject to performance reviews; annual evaluation planned with reporting to the governor and General Assembly.

Other jurisdictional and governance elements

  • 161.092 and 162.012-162.015: Expanded board responsibilities, public meeting requirements for governing bodies, and mandatory online access to meeting minutes and annual financial reporting.
  • 163.023 and 166.706: Classification and accreditation processes expanded to include private and charter schools under unified reporting and governance standards.
  • 168.011: Expanded scope for employing noncertificated staff with safeguards.
  • 171.031: School calendar requirements maintained, including minimum hours/days and inclement weather make-up provisions; potential consequences for districts that fail to comply.

Who/what would be affected

  • Charter schools and entities operating or managing charter schools (public, private, or quasi-public) would face enhanced oversight, new performance contracts, and potential waivers.
  • Private schools participating in empowerment scholarship accounts and related programs would be subject to comparable procurement and staffing standards as public districts, with limited exceptions.
  • School districts and LEAs: new options for charter conversion, facility leases with charters, and shared accountability/reporting standards.
  • Students: potential changes in assessment methods, graduation requirements (including alternative credit mechanisms), and grade-level equivalence reporting that informs readiness and interventions.
  • Educators: certification rules for staff, limited noncertificated instructional staff allowances, and heightened background checks.

Timeline and procedural notes

  • Charter petitions: sponsor decision within 90 days; state board review within 60 days if denials are appealed.
  • Grants and waivers: post-three-year performance thresholds may trigger waiver plans; waivers void if criteria are not met by June 30 of the relevant year.
  • Annual reporting: DESE to publish charter-specific annual performance reports and school accountability cards; grade-level equivalence data publicly accessible with privacy protections.
  • A+ program: ongoing funding year-by-year with annual outcome evaluation; waiver opportunities after three consecutive high-performing years.
  • Several sections refer to rules or waivers contingent on board approvals and subsequent department regulations.

Notes:
- The text provided includes proposed sections for 160.405, 160.420, 160.518, 160.522, 160.545, 161.092, 162.012, 162.015, 163.023, 166.706, 168.011, and 171.031, and indicates repeal-and-replace with twelve new sections.
- The bill emphasizes equity of standards across charter, private, and district schools, while expanding flexibility through performance-based waivers and enhanced reporting.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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