The March 2026 meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education focused on educator certification, addressing critical budget shortfalls, and innovative assessment models.
Committee and Commissioner Reports
The Commissioner reported on a significant waitlist for the Office of Childhood services, affecting approximately 1,000 children. Discussions regarding teacher recruitment and retention centered on the potential for two-year experience programs and reducing the financial burden of four-year degrees. Legislative updates noted that the department is shifting toward building stronger proactive relationships with elected officials to act as a resource for education policy.
Educator Preparation and Governance
The board reviewed Annual Performance Reports for Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs), noting that while student outcome data is often discussed as a quality metric, most states are moving away from it due to data inconsistencies. A proposal to standardize and potentially reduce content hour requirements for certification to 30 hours was debated as a way to remove barriers to entry, though concerns remain about ensuring educator quality in high-poverty areas.
The Missouri NEA advocates for a holistic educator preparation process that values diverse indicators of potential and expresses concern at extreme reductions to the educators preparation process that trains high-quality educators (D-3).
Budget and Innovative Assessment
The Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Report detailed a "balanced budget" challenge, with significant proposed cuts to Career Ladder programs, school safety, and early literacy initiatives. Board members expressed concern that tax cuts are outpacing economic growth, potentially "cutting into the meat and bone" of student services. Finally, the board reviewed the "Success-Ready Student Assessment" pilot—a through-year modular assessment designed to replace the traditional summative MAP test with near real-time results during the school year. The board clearly needs more information regarding the Missouri Assessment Program in general as they were unaware of many of the current and innovative approaches occurring at the department.
“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” (A-11).