Top Takeaways: State Board of Education and MACCE Reports (December 2025)

State Board of Education Report

State Board approves MNEA member for open seat on MACCE

The Missouri State Board of Education approves the appointment of MNEA member Bob McKitrick (Parkway NEA) to the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators (MACCE). This appointment ensures that the voice of practicing educators is central to decisions regarding educator certification standards.

"The Missouri NEA believes in the importance of having more teachers and education support professionals on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Advisory Committees. At least seventy-five percent (75%) of the membership of DESE Advisory Committees should be teachers and education support professionals" (A-20).

MNEA is thrilled to have McKitrick join our MNEA representatives on MACCE for this school year!

Future Agenda Items: A-F Rating & School Board Training

Board member Casey successfully moved to amend the State Board's future agenda planning to include two significant discussion items within the next two months.

First, the Board will explore the "A-F" rating system for school accountability to address concerns that current reports can be confusing. While MNEA agrees that the State Accountability system (MSIP) and Annual Performance Report (APR) can be convoluted for stakeholders, an A-F system is not a solution that would lead to greater clarity in school quality.

Second, the Board will receive presentations from the Missouri School Boards' Association (MSBA) and the Missouri Association of Rural Education (MARE) on school board training sessions occurring across the state.

"The Missouri NEA supports effective and fair school accountability systems. The Association believes that these systems must promote student excellence and growth that reflect meaningful, high-quality learning and ensure that the best teaching practices are supported and utilized" (A-4).

Approval of 2026 Legislative Priorities

The Board voted (5-1) to approve its legislative priorities for the upcoming 2026 legislative session. The discussion highlighted significant concerns about Open Enrollment, with Board member Westbrook-Hodge noting that it could "harm small communities." Further, Board member Matousek expressed concern that the new legislative priorities would be voted on and approved without alignment to the updated strategic plan, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of the spring semester. Despite these concerns, the priorities were passed, with an understanding that language for Open Enrollment would be refined at a later date.

"The Missouri NEA believes that local control is important for each of Missouri's many communities... The Association also believes that federally or state-mandated parental option plans compromise free, equitable, universal and quality public education for every student" (A-5).

Report on APR Data

DESE staff presented the 2025 Annual Performance Report (APR) data. The report indicates a positive trend, with the percentage of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) scoring above 70% increasing to 91.6% in 2025. This data, which includes a mix of academic achievement status and growth, along with Continuous Improvement metrics, will be used to inform accreditation recommendations at upcoming board meetings.

"The Association further believes effective and fair school accountability systems must... Include a broad array of school quality indicators... [and] Produce interpretable and actionable results" (A-4).

New Data Visualization Tool Coming Soon

DESE previewed a new data visualization capability scheduled for rollout in the first quarter of 2026. This tool will allow side-by-side comparisons of LEAs and longitudinal data analysis dating back four years. It promises to provide a deeper, more accessible, and nuanced look at school performance data for educators and the public.

"The Missouri NEA believes that technology and access to electronic/digital communication increase the opportunity to reduce educational inequities within and among schools and school districts... Technology should be used to enhance the roles and instructional opportunities of education professionals" (B-34).

Recovery High School Pilot Review

The Board reviewed proposals for three potential Recovery High Schools located in Cape Girardeau, Kansas City, and St. Louis. These schools are designed to serve students diagnosed with substance use disorders, providing a comprehensive education alongside a structured recovery plan. While no vote was taken at this meeting, the proposals are set as an Action Item for January.

"The Association strongly supports... Creation and improvement of drug prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, including recovery high schools" (C-30).

Task Force Report

School Funding Modernization Task Force Updates

"Per Executive Order 25-14, the Task Force shall submit a final report to the Governor by December 1, 2026, detailing recommendations for potential state funding models for K-12 public and charter schools. The report should include up to three alternative recommendations or components of the recommended model, as well as a summary of feedback garnered through the work of the Task Force from stakeholders" (DESE).

The Modernization Task Forcehas been meeting in workgroups since September; the workgroups are as follows:

• Funding Targets
• Student Counts
• Local Effort Factors
• Performance Incentives

At this time, each of these groups have drafted some recommendations for their topics. The workgroups will complete their virtual meetingsthis week and come back together as a whole group in January 2026. It is vital to remember that, while the entire Task Force will develop three alternatives to Missouri's current formula, any new formula for the state will have to go through the formal legislative process.

"The Missouri NEA believes that equitable and adequate funding is critical to the future of public education in Missouri. The total wealth of the state should be distributed as equitably as possible for the public education of each child in Missouri. State support for public education should be no less than one-third of the state general revenue. A simple majority should pass local school tax levies and bond issues. Property values should be fairly assessed and regularly reassessed. Assessor's offices should have adequate resources, data, and professional staff and be held accountable to regular review by the state.

"The Association also believes that state and local revenues should be partially derived from a progressive, broad-based system of personal and corporate income tax, which reduces the heavy reliance on property taxes and protects the property of those on subsistence income.

"The Association strongly opposes Tax Increment Financing (TIF) that decreases local funding for school districts. The amount of state and local money designated for education shall not be decreased when monies from other sources are allocated to public education.

"The Association further believes that state support must be predictable for long-range and year-to-year planning. If the foundation formula is changed, no district should receive less money per eligible pupil than in the last year prior to implementation of the change (A-11)."

MNEA believes that every student and educator deserves the best experience possible in schools. That is why we are the only educational organization that is consistently present at every meeting of DESE, the state board of education, and the Missouri Legislature. We are your eyes and ears where decisions are being made about your schools.

The next meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education will be held on October 21, 2025, in Jefferson City, Missouri. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Samantha Hayes at 800-392-0236 or [email protected].

Read past State Board of Education reports at https://www.mnea.org/stateboard.