BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS • Close to 150 parents and grandparents in the Riverview Gardens School District nearly filled a church sanctuary Tuesday with their hopes set on one goal: transferring their children to higher-performing public schools.
Lisa Hayes-Adams wants to send her 9-year-old daughter to Pattonville schools. Carla Hargrove wants to send her two children, now in private school, to elementary schools in the Affton, Ladue or Webster Groves school districts.
The two were among the parents who had heard about the Missouri Supreme Court ruling this month upholding a state law enabling their children to transfer. Because Riverview Gardens is one of two unaccredited school districts in the region, students within its boundaries may enroll in better-performing districts throughout St. Louis County or adjoining counties, at no cost to them.
People are also reading…
But they have many questions.
So they arrived at Greater St. Mark’s Family Church for a meeting put on by the Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri, an organization that advocates for school choice. Billionaire investor Rex Sinquefield is a financial backer.
Dozens of parents had been contacting the alliance since the high court’s ruling on June 11.
They had questions about transportation, about special education services, about the enrollment process in other districts.
St. Louis parents wanted to know if they could transfer their children. But, because St. Louis Public Schools has provisional accreditation, city children are not eligible to transfer under the statute.
“It was clear there was much confusion about what people could do,” said Kate Casas, state director for the alliance. “We wanted to make sure we could help parents navigate what could be a complicated process.”
It was the first meeting of its kind, providing a glimpse into how many children could potentially take advantage of the state’s school transfer statute in the coming school year. A similar meeting will be scheduled for parents in the Normandy School District next month.
“As a parent, you are the single most important advocate for your child,” Josh Schindler, an attorney with the organization, told the crowd. “You need to understand the law. You need to understand what the Supreme Court has done. You need to understand your options.”
According to Section 167.131 of Missouri law, children in any unaccredited school district may attend better schools in the same or an adjoining county at no cost to their families. The unaccredited district must cover the costs of tuition and transportation.
A six-year legal battle over whether school districts had the financial ability to comply with this law ended with the high court’s decision. Riverview Gardens and Normandy — both in north St. Louis County — are the only unaccredited districts in the region. St. Louis Public Schools has been provisionally accredited since last fall. Kansas City schools also are unaccredited.
Potentially, thousands of students could transfer into schools in St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County and St. Louis city.
Area superintendents have said they will comply with the law and welcome students.
But in the northwest part of the state, suburban superintendents are awaiting the outcome of a similar lawsuit before allowing students in the unaccredited Kansas City schools into their classrooms.
Officials in Riverview Gardens are bracing for the outcome here, which could cost their district millions of dollars in tuition bills, plus the cost of transportation to schools in one school district.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has provided a list of guidelines to school districts to help them avoid overcrowded classrooms. The state is urging transferring students to enroll by Aug. 1, and to notify Normandy or Riverview Gardens schools at that time of their intent to withdrawal.
Some parents at Tuesday’s meeting said they were weighing which district they would select. Most were determined to transfer.
“It’s not even a consideration. I’m going to do it,” said Angela Morgan, who intends to transfer her 15-year-old twins to Pattonville High School.
At this point, no one knows how many students will take advantage of the law. School districts have not begun processing enrollment forms.
As a result, officials in both unaccredited school systems don’t know how many students will show up in their schools this August.
“We’re preparing to open school with the same level of staff we ended this year with,” said Enos Moss, chief financial officer for Riverview Gardens.
The school district already plans to take a financial hit next year. Declining property values in the district mean a $1.5 million drop in local tax revenue, Moss said. The district expects its budget to be in the red, requiring it to dip into its reserves, even without the transfers, Moss said.
Lloyd Gardner said he’s been waiting years for this opportunity to get his 8-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son out of Riverview Gardens, which received the state’s worst rating in 2007. He had been paying private school tuition for them, but took a hit during the recent recession and can no longer afford to, he said.
“It has not been a good experience,” he said.
Where would he enroll his children?
“I will drive them as far as Meramec Valley if I have to,” he said, referring to district in the southwest corner of St. Louis County. “I will do whatever I have to do give my kids a good education.”
