Moms Talk: Parents Weigh in on School Transfer Case

A case that could change schools in St. Louis County is now in the hands of a St. Louis County Judge. The three-day trial concluded Wednesday and Judge David Lee Vincent III is expected to make a decision in the following weeks. 

At the heart of the case is whether suburban St. Louis County school districts such as the School District of Clayton should be required to enroll students who request transfers from unaccredited St. Louis city schools. Officials representing Clayton schools argue that such a requirement would represent an unfunded mandate and violate the Hancock Amendment. St. Louis city schools say the move would bankrupt the district. 

The parents in the case said the home district should pay the tuition for their students to attend accredited schools.

 without guidance on funding or classroom space.

Do you think students living in an unaccredited school district area should be able to transfer? Who should pick up the tab? What effect do you think this will have on the current students at Mehlville? 

Jennifer AuBuchon
While I do not think that students should be able to transfer to any district of choice due to an unreasonable burden on that district's budget, I do think that funding should be spent to improve the unaccredited districts.  

Another option is to allow charter schools to open in these unaccredited districts. The fact that many charter schools struggle to achieve the success they hope to upon opening proves that many of the reasons the students in these areas are failing are beyond the district's control. Low attendance, little support at home, and insufficient resources are all factors that contribute to low student achievement.  

The Voluntary Transfer Program that is being weaned out of county schools right now was the equivalent of being able to "opt out" of your home district. That did nothing to improve the quality of education in the city schools, and while it helped some students by providing them with a better education, it certainly didn't achieve that goal for all.  

For students to be successful, parental involvement at home and at school is key. That means assuring that your child is prepared for school, at school, and supported at home. Many of the kids in these unaccredited districts come from lower socioeconomic areas, and with that come many factors, which contribute, to poor school performance.  

Just moving them to another school won't remedy those problems, and will place an undue burden on those districts. Think about our own district. We struggle to educate the students that live within our borders.  With no tax increases passed in the last 10-plus years, we have enough trouble funding the education of the students who do live here. I can't imagine how creative Mehlville would have to be to house an additional influx of an unknown number of new additions! 

Lisa May

Wow! Since when did education get so complicated? Honestly, I personally don't know enough to give an intelligent answer. What does going to an unaccredited school really mean? Does it affect going to college or a better college? 

I believe the state took over the city schools? If this is true, they should pick up the cost. 

I can't wait to hear from everyone else. Apologies for my lack of knowledge on this. I should be more in the know with three children in public schools. 

Jenny Wescoat

Lisa, I am feeling the same way about this topic. I saw and was realizing as I read it that I was pretty uninformed.

I know these things can get ugly. No school district or their residents want to pay for other kids outside the district to go to school, but I also don't want education opportunities to be limited to income, any more than they already are. 

I think it's not up to Mehlville to pay for this, but I'd rather see state money going toward the improvement of unaccredited schools instead of spending a bunch to get kids educated outside of their own district. This special funding to each school district could get pricey fast and have a big administrative need as well.

All that said, I'm sure there are many angles to this that I don't understand!

Samantha Goswami

While I understand the parents' point of view, I think it will be a burden on the school districts to accept any students that would need to join their district. How would they budget for an unknown number of students?

Hopefully there will be a decision that will please both sides if that is even possible.