JEFFERSON CITY — Without ceremony, Gov. Jay Nixon put his imprimatur today on a mammoth education bill passed by the General Assembly.

The wide-ranging plan (SB291), shepherded by Rep. Maynard Wallace, R-Thornfield, includes:

– A controversial provision allowing teachers in the St. Louis Public Schools to receive merit-based raises in return for opting out of tenure.

– Restrictions on the use of seclusion rooms to confine students with behavioral problems.

– An option for a four-day school week.

– A requirement that high school students obtain at least 16 credits or reach the age of 17 before they can drop out.

– A flex program allowing juniors and seniors to spend only two hours a day at school and work the rest of the day in a job aligned with the student’s career plan.

– Physical activity requirements of 30 minutes a day for elementary school students.

– A study on open enrollment of public school students across district boundary lines.

– Authority for the State Board of Education to add members to the three-member special administrative board that oversees St. Louis Public Schools. Also, the state board could set a date for the district to return to local governance.