Same format, new modality. The Pulse welcomes new audio updates for policy action at the state level. You will still get text updates linked to source materials, but most updates will come via audio so you can fit them in during your busy days.
DESE Leadership Shakeup (again)
- DESE Leadership Transition: Dr. Stacey Preis resigned as Interim Commissioner before closed session on Tuesday. Her resignation comes amid ongoing furor surrounding the proposed A–F school grading system and the department’s FY28 budget request that contributes to a $270 million funding shortfall for education if the legislature acts upon the request. Deputy Commissioner Lisa Sireno has been named Interim Commissioner despite strong rumors that Cindy O’Laughlin would be named as interim this week.
- National Commissioner Search Vendor Selected: The Board's search committee recommended hiring K-12 Search Group to manage the national search for the next permanent commissioner; this is a firm that has not led a state commissioner-level search, but they were selected due to their experience working in states where reform initiatives align with Missouri’s goals. The board initially hoped to have the commissioner selected before Missouri’s 2027 legislative session, but that seems unlikely with the delay in selecting a vendor. The National Association for State Boards of Education (NASBE) will also be a third party supporting the board with the search.
- A–F "School and District Grade Cards" Update
- DESE modeled 2024–25 baseline grade distributions under the original framework, which initially highlighted a regressive relationship between high-poverty districts and low letter grades.
- To address fairness, DESE and technical advisors proposed shifting to a "growth-to-proficiency" (GTP) ladder approach and increasing growth weights (potentially up to 40%) so high-need schools are not unjustly penalized.
- No formal action was taken at the October meeting. DESE has posted a draft technical guide for how the grade cards are calculated. Further, DESE will share embargoed data with districts ahead of proposed revisions and an anticipated final vote in December.
- During this presentation, DESE claimed much stakeholder engagement; however, teachers and parents have not been explicitly consulted or surveyed.
- New Strategic Plan Topline Goals for 2035: Working with Bellwether, the Board reviewed proposed 10-year targets to reach 60% proficiency in 3rd-grade ELA and 70% proficiency in 4th-grade math by 2035. Board members stressed that the General Assembly must provide adequate funding so schools are not set up to fail; they did not mention how they did not request the amount that would be needed to reach these two targets.
- Key Licensure Rule Changes (via the Consent Agenda): The Board approved orders of rulemaking to rescind 5 CSR 20-400.210 (eliminating the ABCTE license-to-teach rule) and amend 5 CSR 20-400.380 (mentoring standards toolkit), while standardizing certification requirements to 30 content hours and 24 pedagogy hours across middle, secondary, and K-12 areas.
Funding Modernization Task Force: The next meeting of the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force has been postponed until after the November election. At the Board meeting on Tuesday, the rationale for the cancellation was that there were scheduling conflicts, but there is other buzz that the task force was cancelled because the modeling from the proposed formula options showed how much Missouri has been underfunding education.
The next meeting of the State Board of Education will occur in Jefferson City on December 15, 2026. Missouri NEA will be present for that meeting.
Please see MNEA’s recent news release about the new interim commissioner here.
Read the full issue of Pulse at www.mnea.org/publication/professional-practice-pulse-october-2026.