Schools can be an essential decision driver people consider when they buy a home, even when they do not have school-age children. In Columbia, homebuyers definitely factor in school attendance areas when they purchase a home, which can drive up prices in certain parts of the city, as an intrinsic value is placed on schools.  

This is one of the reasons why it has become such a complex issue when Columbia Public Schools (CPS) redraws attendance maps to accommodate new schools in a growing city.  To have good schools and a strong school district to maintain property values in a community, there needs to be adequate school funding. Lately, it seems that Columbia Public Schools’ funding has been under attack due to property tax freezes, state funding limits and requirements, and now charter schools authorized in Boone County. Does Boone County really need charter schools, and should the community have had more say before charter schools were enacted?  

During the most recent legislative session and unbeknownst to most Boone County residents, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 727, allowing charter schools in Boone County. The need for charter schools has been debated for many years. Charter schools are publicly funded but are privately managed, taking funding away from public schools and creating a duplicate school system. Charter schools are already allowed in Kansas City and St. Louis school districts, and there is a history of financial mismanagement and an inability to stay accredited. Some charter schools also receive additional funding from wealthy foundations. 

Charter schools provide parents and students with choices regarding where their children attend school and the type of curriculum offered. They don’t have to obey the same requirements as public schools and can be selective on which students they accept, leaving some students out because of special needs or other reasons. Charter schools in Missouri also have a high failure rate, with 38 percent of them closing due to academic performance or financial issues between 1998 and 2018. 

Public schools are an easy target to criticize. Not everyone has been happy with Columbia School’s performance results over the past few years, and some question the effects of the district’s COVID-19 response on student achievement. Overall, Columbia is fortunate to have the current public school system in place. CPS does offer a specialized curriculum at some schools in the areas of arts, STEM, and career education that you won’t find in public school systems anywhere near our area. 

CPS’s Early College Program allows students earn dual credit for high school and toward their associate degree through Moberly Area Community College. This program helps students advance through college and saves students and families thousands of dollars in higher education expenses. 

Boone County residents are also fortunate to be able to live in a county with several school districts. This gives parents an additional choice in deciding which public school is suitable for their children to attend and where they choose to buy or rent a home.  

To maintain the opportunities local students currently have, Boone County schools need to maintain current funding and should be receiving additional funding from the state based on teacher salary requirements in SB 727 and bussing requirements. The recent property tax freeze enacted for Boone County Seniors will already reduce CPS funding, and now charter schools pose an additional threat to school funding and underlying property values. 

Interestingly, charter schools were the last request of a single state legislator termed out after this year’s legislative session. Boone County residents should’ve had more say before the state forced charter schools onto their communities.

Brian Toohey is the chief executive officer for the Columbia Board of REALTORS.