FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 177
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR NURRENBERN.
0421S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To amend chapter 160, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to charter schools.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 160, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto 1
one new section, to be known as section 160.426, to read as 2
follows:3
160.426. 1. Beginning August 28, 2025, no charter 1
school shall be eligible to operate in this state without 2
the state board of education's issuance of a certificate of 3
need for such charter school as provided in this section. 4
2. A certificate of need shall be required only for 5
proposed charter schools that are not established as of 6
August 28, 2025, and shall not be required for: 7
(1) The renewal of a charter contract pursuan t to the 8
provisions of section 160.405; or 9
(2) The transfer of sponsorship of a charter school in 10
accordance with rules promulgated by the state board of 11
education. 12
3. This section shall not be construed to exempt a 13
charter school from the requirements of section 160.405 or 14
any other applicable state or federal law or regulation. 15
4. The charter school certificate of need application 16
shall consist of a written certification, including 17
supporting documentation, submitted by the gover ning board 18
of the school district or the governing body of the city or 19 SB 177 2
county in which the proposed charter school would be 20
located, affirming that the following conditions apply to 21
the school district in which the proposed charter school 22
would be operated: 23
(1) Consumer demand for alternative educational 24
options exceeds supply; 25
(2) The school district's attendance area contains 26
sufficient economies of scale to ensure both an adequate 27
supply of high quality teachers and a sufficient numbe r of 28
potential students in order for the proposed charter school 29
to succeed without detrimentally impacting the school 30
district's ability to provide a free public education for 31
students who enroll in the school district. For purposes of 32
this subdivision, "economies of scale" shall mean the 33
capacity to reduce costs and increase efficiency as student 34
enrollment numbers change; and 35
(3) The proposed charter school is likely to: 36
(a) Alleviate economic and racial inequities across 37
the school district's attendance centers; 38
(b) Improve students' academic achievement and test 39
scores; 40
(c) Reduce student-teacher ratios across the school 41
district; 42
(d) Result in a more efficient education service 43
delivery system without superflu ous duplication of services; 44
(e) Limit the number of schooling disruptions faced by 45
children and families; and 46
(f) Address family priorities that are not strictly 47
educational in nature, including, but not limited to, 48
safety, convenience, tra nsportation time, neighborhood 49
walkability, and school culture. 50 SB 177 3
5. The state board of education shall review each 51
charter school certificate of need application and either 52
approve or disapprove each application within one hundred 53
twenty calendar days of receipt. If the board determines 54
that the information provided in the application is factual 55
and based on sound data and reasoning, the board shall 56
consider the conditions of this subsection to be satisfied, 57
and the board shall approve such ap plication. If the board 58
determines that the information provided in the application 59
is not factual and based on sound data and reasoning, the 60
board shall disapprove the application and provide to the 61
applicant written documentation of the reasons why the 62
application was not approved. 63