The August 2026 meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education took place at the Jefferson Building in Jefferson City, Missouri on August 18, 2026.
The Board is (Finally) Full
📡 On the Radar: On July 30th, Governor Kehoe appointed the two remaining vacant seats on the State Board of Education:
- Michael McDonald, a math teacher from the Park Hill School District, is running to fill the teacher representative seat on the state board of education. This role is established in statute (161.026, RSMo) as a non-voting member of the board to help provide context and how policies impact practice.
- Vincent Schoemehl Jr., of St. Louis City, is a former St. Louis Mayor and the retired President and CEO of Grand Center, Inc. Mr. Schoemehl has previously served on many boards, including public and charter school boards, in service to his community.
These two newly appointed members, along with board members Robbie Meyers and Jordan Bradberry, will all go before the Missouri Senate for confirmation once the legislature is back in session.
🌤️ The Forecast: This is the first time in at least two years that the board has been fully appointed and the first time ever, since the position was statutorily created in 2018, that there has been a Teacher representative appointed. Further, the longest-serving member has only one year left in her term, and the second-longest-serving member has been on the board for 15 months. This new board, with a majority of new members, is still establishing its working dynamics and priorities, as the department's current Strategic Plan expires at the end of this year. More of their priorities will solidify as they work together in the coming months.
🧭 Our Resolution: “The Missouri NEA believes that the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education have an obligation to propose an education budget that will meet the educational needs of Missouri’s students…The Association further believes that the State Board must maintain two-way communication with all professional educators” (A-14).
Fiscal Year 2028 Budget Preview
📡 On the Radar: As it establishes its overall priorities, the new state board wants greater oversight of the department's budget before September's approval vote. Currently, the FY28 Budget will be (estimated) $400 million, which includes the $190 million shortfall from last fiscal year. Additionally, special payments (e.g., 169 Day Calendar Incentive, MO Scholars Payment, etc.) totaled $205,467,947. The FY28 budget will be revised based on feedback from this board meeting, and the board will vote to submit the budget by October 1, 2026.
🌤️ The Forecast: While budget presentations typically occur in August and September, the board’s desire for earlier involvement will likely shift them to late spring or early summer starting in 2027 (FY29). The board is increasingly concerned about funding low-priority programs or those lacking proven returns. Consequently, their expanded oversight will scrutinize not only New Decision and Supplemental Items, but also core baseline items DESE traditionally rolled over based on DESE staff’s input into core items.
🧭 Our Resolution: “The Missouri NEA believes that the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education have an obligation to propose an education budget that will meet the educational needs of Missouri’s students. The State Board and the Commissioner must request sufficient appropriations so as not to jeopardize the future of public education in Missouri. ” (A-14).
State Board Stalls Setting Legislative Priorities
📡 On the Radar: With a new strategic plan forming, the State Board has chosen to not move forth with the current legislative priorities that the board holds. They will set their priorities once the strategic plan committee has finalized its work and the board has voted to approve it. The members of the state board have shown that they want every part of the board’s work–specifically, legislative priorities and the department budget–to align with the strategic plan they have approved.
🌤️ The Forecast: This new state board has put emphasis on their legislative priorities as a lever to utilize more with the legislature as they seek to repair and rebuild a relationship with the Missouri General Assembly, which has been frayed for years now. This pause on priorities until they are aligned with the strategic plan indicates this board’s desire to maintain greater control over the department’s intentional direction, both politically and operationally.
📡 On the Radar: DESE presented the framework for the new school and district letter grades that were requested by Governor Kehoe in Executive Order 26-01. This presentation showcased the layout of the calculation and a preview of the grade card that would be publicly presented for each school and district in the state. The calculation of these letter grades will be based solely on student achievement and value-added scores on MAP/EOC tests (K-12), literacy metrics (K–8), and student graduation measures (9-12). The impacts on students, schools, and communities will be immediate if the state board approves this framework at its September meeting. These impacts include: Shortened School Calendars & Rushed Testing, No Public Input, Shutting Out Parents & Teachers before a vote, and an unclear calculation based on flawed metrics.
🌤️ The Forecast: The state board heard the presentation from DESE about this grade card plan, and they had both many questions for clarification and hesitation moving forward without hearing from stakeholders, mainly parents, as that is the primary audience of this reporting. They were also concerned about DESE’s lack of mock-up data on where schools and districts would fall before they felt comfortable voting.
In September, the state board is scheduled to hear a final presentation on A-F and vote on whether to accept it as it stands. Because there is no official rulemaking process for this, the state board is not receiving public comment on this framework, which would have significant implications and repercussions for schools in Missouri. Missouri NEA will soon release ways for educators, parents, and communities to communicate with the state board on the A-F policy before it goes to a vote. Stay tuned!
🧭 Our Resolution: “The Association further believes effective and fair school accountability systems must: align assessment policy with goals for high-quality curricula and instruction, provide for reciprocal accountability, ensure that representative 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” (A-4).
The next meeting of the State Board of Education will occur in Jefferson City on September 15, 2026. The location of this meeting has yet to be announced as of the publication date of this Pulse. Missouri NEA will be present for that meeting.