MO HB1789

Amends section 162.431 to prohibit current or retired school administrators from serving on boards of arbitration that determine school district boundary changes based on travel hardship criteria.

Defines "significant difference in the time involved in transporting students" as a difference of 45 minutes or more per trip in travel time for purposes of school boundary arbitration decisions.

Creates a new hardship assignment provision (Section 1) allowing the commissioner of education to assign students from specific unincorporated areas and villages to other districts if the driving distance to their residence district school is 17 miles or more and an alternative school is at least 7 miles closer.

Allows hardship assignments granted before August 28, 2012, to continue indefinitely and be extended to siblings, while new assignments under the specific criteria must be processed in order of application receipt and continue until course completion or parental withdrawal.

Requires students' home districts to pay tuition for assigned pupils at the pro rata cost of instruction, with students required to have attended school in their residence district for one full prior school year before eligibility to apply.