Supporters of a bill aimed at problems with Missouri’s student transfer law say Governor Jay Nixon (D) is going to veto that bill today, and one tells Missourinet, there won’t be any more.
Representative David Wood (photo courtesy; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)
For the second straight year the legislature sent Governor Nixon a bill that supporters said would fix a Missouri law that makes unaccredited schools pay to send students to better performing ones. He vetoed last year’s and backers of this year’s say his staff has confirmed later today he will veto it.
Its sponsor, Versailles representative David Wood, says he’s done trying.
“I can be very certain that I will not be bringing a transfer bill up again,” Wood told Missourinet. “In the conversations that I’ve had with the House and the Senate, I do not believe there will be a transfer bill even offered next year and if it is, it’s probably not going to make it through either chamber.”
Wood says the Senate will likely continue to pursue school reforms, such as the expansion of charter and virtual schools that was seen in this year’s proposal. In the House, he says such ideas barely got enough votes for initial passage.
“That going two different directions. I don’t think they’ll ever cross,” said Wood. “So, the responsibility goes back to the superintendents, the school districts, the communities, to fix their schools.”
“We tried to fix the transfer process the best we can and give them options,” said Wood, referring to school district leaders. “They’ve campaigned to have this vetoed and not have those options, so I think my general attitude will be that they need to fix their issues then, because if the schools are accredited and they do what they’re supposed to do, there is no transfer issue.”
He doesn’t expect to make an attempt to overturn the veto he expects Nixon to issue today, on his bill.