JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has reiterated his opposition to letting students in failing school districts transfer to nonreligious private schools at public expense.
Nixon spoke Tuesday as House and Senate negotiators were finalizing a plan to revise a 1993 that allows students in unaccredited districts to transfer to neighboring schools. That law has put a financial strain on a suburban St. Louis district because it is required to pay the transportation costs for transferring students.
Part of the Legislature’s plan would let students attend a private school after exhausting other options and if local voters approve. But Nixon says that would destabilize public education and open the door to what he called more “radical schemes.” Supporters say the private option is necessary to pass the legislation.
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