Legislative Update - 2026, Week 12

By Otto Fajen, MNEA Director of Legislative Policy

STUDENT SCREEN TIME IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

The House passed HCS/HBs 2230 & 2978 (Tricia Byrnes) on March 30 by a vote of 143-10. The bill requires board policies that specify applicable limits on the use of technology for student learning practices in elementary schools, leaving the specific provisions of the policies under local control. The Association appreciates the concern and recognition of the impact of screen use on learning and child development and supports the bill.

SCHOOL LETTER GRADE

The Senate Education Committee approved SCS/HCS/HB 2710 (Dane Diehl) on March 31. The bill would create an A-F school report card for public schools based primarily on state-mandated, standardized tests. The SCS adds the provisions of SB 1029 (Rick Brattin) regarding school finance transparency. The Association opposes the bill.

The Association believes effective and fair school accountability systems must align assessment policy with goals for high-quality curricula and instruction, provide for reciprocal accountability, ensure community members play a meaningful role in the system, include a broad array of school quality indicators, produce interpretable and actionable results, and evolve and improve. The Association believes the bill fails to meet these criteria and undermines local control.

INCOME TAX REPEAL

The Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee heard HCS/HJRs 173 & 174 (Bishop Davidson) on April 1. The original version only authorized sales tax expansion if the income tax was eliminated. The HCS creates a self-enforcing calculation to incrementally eliminate the income tax over an unknown number of years. This proposal could undermine public investment in all sectors and damage the state's economy. The Association opposes the joint resolution and elimination of the state income tax.

PROPERTY TAXES

The Senate Select Committee on Property Taxes and the State Tax Commission heard HCS#2/HB 2780 (Tim Taylor) on April 1. Key provisions in the bill include reassessment rollback by property class and lowering the minimum school levy from $2.75 to $2.20. The Association is concerned that these changes may reduce local school revenues.

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

The Senate approved SS/SB 1002 (Adam Schnelting) on April 2 by a vote of 23-8. The original bill would move school board elections to the November general election and change all school board terms to four years. The substitute limits the bill to only school districts in St. Charles County. The Association opposes the bill.

Electing school board members at municipal election allows voters to focus on these local candidates and local school issues outside of the November election cycle when the time and attention of voters is taken up by partisan election campaigns and statewide issues.

EARLY GRADES LITERACY

The Senate debated SS/SCS/SB 1442 (Brad Hudson) on April 1 but did not bring the bill to a vote. The SS version is similar to the House perfected version of HB 2872 (Cathy Jo Loy). The bill clarifies that the existing law restricting "3-cueing" strategies applies only to decoding words, and the components of 3-cueing can be used in other aspects of learning to read. The bill increases oversight and reporting on literacy instruction in educator preparation programs.

The bill also mandates retention in third grade for students with low scores on state-approved reading assessments unless the student is exempted for "good cause". Parents of students assessed as at-risk of retention shall meet with school staff at the end of second grade. These parents acknowledge that they know of the possibility of retention, that the student will receive intensive instructional services, and that the parent will participate in parent training workshops or regular parent-guided home reading activities, or both, to support their student.

SCHOOL SAFETY PERSONNEL

The Senate approved SS/SCS/SB 905 (David Gregory) on April 2 by a vote of 29-2. The bill would establish a training program for Missouri Rangers. The Rangers would receive various law enforcement training and could be employed by public or private schools with limited school-related law enforcement powers.

RECONSIDERATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

The House perfected HCS/HB 3005 (Doyle Justus) on March 31. The bill requires public library boards and school boards to have a policy governing the reconsideration of materials in a public library or public-school library. The bill includes general provisions regarding requests for reconsideration, appeals, and options for removal or relocation. The bill also includes employment protections for librarians who refuse to remove or relocate items before the items have been reviewed under the policy.

AGRICULTURE EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

The House Special Committee on Rural Issues heard SS/SCS/SB 1383 (Barbara Washington) on April 1. The bill would expand the current agricultural education pilot program to be a statewide program for all participating elementary schools. The SS is the same as HCS/HBs 2097 & 1905 (John Martin). The Association supports the bill.

SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTICIPATION

The House General Laws Committee approved HCS/HB 2933 (Brad Christ) on April 1. The bill would allow individual St. Louis County school districts to vote to withdraw from the Special School District while enacting a new special education tax levy. The proposal would be approved by the district board and submitted to district voters for approval. The SCS adds additional provisions limiting seclusion of students to classrooms or sensory rooms. The SCS also allows IEP students to continue be served by SSD if the student's home district votes to leave, with the leaving district paying SSD for the cost of the services.

The Association opposes the bill. The Special School District was created with the approval of the entire county, changes over time have been ratified at the county level, and current law provides an ongoing process to consider and approve necessary changes to governance or operations at the county level. The Association is concerned that this measure is likely to be detrimental both to students in any district that may withdraw from the Special School District and those students who continue to be served by Special School District.

HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The committee heard three measures on April 1:

HB 3483 (Raychel Proudie) and HB 3532 (Brad Pollitt) are similar bills that require the General Assembly to create education materials to use in public schools that will detail the legislative process in Missouri. Materials may include, but are not limited to, real world experiences, publications, reasonable accommodations for place-based learning, opportunities for civic engagement, and digital resources.

HCR 31 (John Martin) would create the seal of civic recognition award for each senior who graduates from a public school, private school, parochial school, or home school and who meets the specific criteria for various levels recognition.

The committee also approved HCS/HB 2722 (Melissa Douglas) on April 1. The HCS would require each higher education institution to designate a homeless liaison for coordination of support for homeless students. The Association believes that schools need to collaborate with the community and related agencies to create opportunities to enhance student access and supports the bill.

SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TRAINING SCHEDULES

The Senate Education Committee heard HCS/HB 2335 (Ann Kelley) on March 31. The bill would modify laws governing school employee training requirements. The bill allows more local control of the annual training schedule for employees with more than three years of experience. The HCS extends local control over newly enacted training requirements from last session. The Association supports the bill.

GIFTED TESTING BILL

The Senate Education Committee heard HB 1757 (Brenda Shields) on March 31. The bill now proceeds to the Senate for its consideration. The bill would establish procedures for school districts to evaluate for gifted students. The bill outlines screening requirements and requires review by trained staff members. The Association believes well-developed criteria and guidelines for identifying and teaching these students are essential. The Association supports the bill.

CHARTER SCHOOL FACILITIES

The Senate Education Committee heard HCS/HBs HB 2404 & 2172 (George Hruza) on March 31. The bill would specify that a municipality may not allow deed restrictions that prohibit a property's use as a charter school. The bill also grants public entities the right of first refusal when a district is offering to sell or lease a school facility.

PRIVATE SCHOOL RESTROOM POLICIES

The Senate Education Committee approved SB 1558 (Mike Henderson) on March 31. The bill provides that private schools shall not be civilly liable for establishing single-sex restrooms and changing rooms.

Read past issues of the Legislative Update at https://www.mnea.org/legupdate.