St. Louis Public Schools’ Legislative and Advocacy Committee discussed a potential board resolution opposing state open‑enrollment legislation at its April 4 meeting and agreed to table the resolution for now after staff and counsel confirmed the district is explicitly included in an exemption in the House bill.

The committee’s Jefferson City lobbyist, Steve Carroll, said House Bill 711 — the open‑enrollment measure that has passed the House and moved to the Senate — includes language that allows districts subject to a desegregation order to opt out of the bill’s open‑enrollment provisions. “We have the exemption for the St. Louis Public Schools because of the settlement agreement and what we're under. And that's currently on page 18 of the bill,” Carroll said.

Why it matters: committee members said an unqualified public statement opposing the bill might risk the exemption remaining in the final text. Several members emphasized that the exemption, if preserved, would let the district certify annually that open enrollment would conflict with the desegregation order and therefore opt out.

Legal review and data request

The committee asked the district’s general counsel to review the HB 711 exemption (page 18) to confirm the legal effect and to identify any annual certification requirements. Laura McLaughlin, the district’s general counsel, was asked to confirm whether the exemption language covers the district’s needs without additional board action.

Committee members also requested data showing how open enrollment could affect segregation, transportation costs and student placements in St. Louis. A committee member suggested that the district has sufficient historical data from magnet and neighborhood school enrollments and the now‑ending VIC program to document likely impacts.

Decision to table

Given the exemption in HB 711 and the bill’s uncertain path through the Senate, the committee agreed not to pursue a public board resolution at this time. “At this point, with six weeks left in the session…I would do nothing. Let’s just let a sleeping dog lie, and just see what happens,” Carroll told the committee.

Committee members noted that if a committee substitute removes the exemption or changes the text in a way that affects the district, the board can still take a public position later in the process.

Context and limitations

No formal board vote was recorded on the resolution at the April 4 meeting. The committee’s decision was a direction to table the proposed resolution and to continue monitoring HB 711; legal counsel will review the bill text and staff will produce the requested demographic and transportation analysis.

Ending

The committee will revisit the question if the House Bill 711 text changes in a way that removes or weakens the exemption. In the meantime, staff and counsel will report back to the committee with the legal review and the requested analysis.