On May Day (May 1, 2026), we honor the workers who keep Missouri running—including the educators and school support professionals who are holding public schools together with far too little.
Missouri’s Constitution promises to “establish and maintain free public schools” for the “general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence” and mandates the state’s obligation to fund and operate the public schools. (Art. IX, SEC. 1a) That promise is not abstract—it is supposed to show up in classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, bus routes, and paychecks. It is supposed to show up as an opportunity for every child, in every ZIP code.
The promise is being broken by politicians and policies that keep taking away from public schools.
For years, Missouri educators and families have been asked to do more with less—while the Missouri General Assembly cycles through short-term fixes, unfunded mandates, and headline-friendly proposals that don’t address the daily reality in schools. When state budgets underinvest in public education, districts compensate by cutting programs, delaying maintenance, increasing class sizes, cutting special programs, and leaning harder on local tax levies. That is not a statewide “system of free public schools.” That is a patchwork quilt held together by the dedicated staff who work in our neighborhood schools.
And now, the break with Missouri’s promise is getting even more direct. Instead of prioritizing the public schools that serve more than 90 percent of Missouri children, lawmakers approved diverting $50 million to the MOScholars program to fund private-school tuition. That’s $50 million that could have gone to textbooks, transportation, building repairs, special education services, mental health supports, smaller class sizes, and competitive pay to retain staff. When politicians choose to subsidize private, religious schools while public schools are struggling to meet basic needs, they aren’t “keeping the Missouri Promise.” They are shrinking the very system the state is constitutionally mandated to maintain.
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Missouri educators told MNEA how the state is not living up to the constitutional promise.
Anonymous quotes from across the state of Missouri.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my school is missing… music, art, and field trips.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my school had to cut… counselors, social workers, custodians—passing and unsustainable workload onto those who remain and making our schools less healthy, safe, and stable.
MO promised great, free public schools. But if you walked into my school, you’d notice… deteriorating facilities, leaky roofs, broken HVAC systems. When school buildings are unsafe or uncomfortable, students don’t feel they are important. It makes learning difficult.
MO promised great, free public schools. But if you walked into my school, you’d notice…overworked & underpaid special educators and paraprofessionals. It directly impacts student success.
Educators and support professionals keep schools running—yet many can’t afford to stay
May Day is about the dignity of work. In public schools, that work includes teachers, speech therapists, paraprofessionals, custodians, bus drivers, school resource officers, cafeteria teams, clerical staff, nurses, and substitutes. These roles are not interchangeable—and they are not optional. Yet Missouri’s public-school workforce is routinely asked to accept compensation that does not match the professional skills, responsibility, or the cost of living.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my paycheck… does not adequately support my family. Many of my co-workers and I have second jobs to make ends meet.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my paycheck…often must be used to purchase supplies for my classroom. Missouri students deserve to have the materials they need to learn.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my building… is not accessible for students (or staff) with physical disabilities that would necessitate adding elevators or ramps. Students using crutches, wheelchairs, and other accessibility tools have to go to a different building in the district
MO promised great, free public schools. But my cafeteria… is where we see the hungry students that 20-year-old funding formulas can’t fix. My district is held together by out-of-pocket donations from teachers who are already among the lowest-paid in the region.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my bus… has students standing in the aisles, sitting 3+ to a seat because we cannot afford to pay more bus drivers. When a bus driver is out sick, the students miss school because they have no other way to get here.
Accountability should measure growth and opportunity, not just a snapshot of a couple of days of testing.
Missouri families deserve honest information about how schools are doing. But many current assessment and accountability approaches still reward privilege and punish poverty. They lean heavily on one-time test scores that don’t capture the whole picture—student growth over time, assessment of coursework, class size, attendance, proper nutrition, mental-health services, and whether students have what they need to be successful learners.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my students don’t have access to… mentors and interventionists for students who are behind grade-level targets, but don’t qualify for special education. Students also don’t have access to enough counselors. The state recommendation is 1 per 250 students, not 1 per 500 students.
MO promised great, free public schools. But my school district doesn’t have enough…support for new teachers and English Language Learners, classroom supplies (pens, pencils, paper) to last the whole school year, scientific calculators and other learning tools for students, paraprofessionals, and money to sustain after-school programs and the arts.
The costs of the broken promises are real—and unfortunately, our kids are the ones paying the price.
MO promised great, free public schools. But the kid I worry about most… is the one who relies on school for stability, support, and opportunity. It’s the students who need extra help, the one who counts on caring adults, the one whose future depends on the choices we make today. Public education isn’t just a line item—it’s a lifeline.
MO promised great, free public schools. But this year I had to tell a parent… that we had to cut another program because we can’t keep certified staff because the pay is too low, and that I might not be able to provide all the special education services their child needs due to reduced staffing. Our students are suffering because they are not the priority! They are our WHY! Do Better Missouri.
MO promised great, free public schools. But the students I serve deserve… the same opportunities as the students just down the road. Relying on such high percentages of funding by local cities creates massive inequity. The state promised to fund education, and it is well past time to fulfill that promise. Games by the state and county hurt our most vulnerable students. All students deserve high-quality educators, safe, up-to-date buildings, access to supplies, access to the arts, access to opportunity, and access to a truly free public education.
MO promised great, free public schools. But I am the parent…who cannot afford to pay for food for lunches, and now our school has lost the Free and Reduced Lunch Program.
MO promised great, free public schools. But I never thought I’d see…books and instructional materials being banned, and public funding for education being cut, ignored, and redirected to private and alternative education. Public funding should REMAIN in public schools.
MO promised great, free public schools. So why are we losing…MILLIONS TO PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHER SCHEMES???
On May Day, let’s demand Missouri keep its promise.
Missouri can choose a different path. The General Assembly can fully and consistently fund public education, so districts aren’t forced into cuts and communities aren’t pitted against each other. It can support competitive, sustainable compensation for educators and support staff, so students have stable, experienced adults in their lives. It can invest in modern technology, reliable broadband, and updated curriculum materials statewide—so “free public school” includes the tools required for today’s learning. And it can improve accountability, value student growth, and offer real opportunities, not just a single test-day score.
May Day reminds us that progress happens when working families stand together and insist on what is right. Public schools are one of Missouri’s biggest promises to its families—and they are worth fighting for.
MO promised great, free public schools. Keeping Missouri’s promise starts with funding, respect for school workers, and assessments that don’t whittle down the purpose of a school to a letter grade.
Now, we want to hear from you!
MNEA is having a virtual day of action on May 1.
Here's how to participate:
- Print one of the prompt posters on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Write a sentence about why you feel the state of Missouri is not living up to the Constitutional Promise to "establish and maintain free public schools."
- Take a "selfie" holding your completed poster or snap a picture of your poster.
- Then, post to your Instagram, Facebook, or other social media. Don't forget to add the hashtags #MayDay #MOpromise and #MOSchoolLife to your post.
That's It!
Share your reasons
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