The legislative newsletter of the Missouri State Teachers Association
MSTA Action: Jan. 31, 2025
In this week's Action:
- WATCH: MSTA Education Policy Department discusses what to expect this legislative session
- Gov. Mike Kehoe delivers 2025 State of the State Address
- House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee holds hearing on open enrollment bill
- Senate Education Committee holds informational meeting
- Capitol Visit information
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Gov. Mike Kehoe delivers 2025 State of the State Address
In his 2025 State of the State Address, Gov. Mike Kehoe laid out a vision for Missouri’s future, focusing on making the state safer, improving education, boosting economic growth, and supporting families and communities. He emphasized the importance of collaboration across government, businesses, and community groups to tackle big challenges.
Kehoe laid out his plans for education during his speech, which included a focus on school choice. He called on the General Assembly to pass open enrollment this session and plans to include $50 million in the state’s general revenue funding to expand the state’s Education Savings Account program. This appropriation would be the first attempt in Missouri to directly fund school vouchers in the budget, potentially creating a constitutional question of whether this funding is even allowed. This appropriation would be a direct usage of public funds to pay for private schools. Charter schools will also see increased funding to address capital improvement needs. MSTA will continue to advocate for public dollars to be kept in public schools and will work with the General Assembly to keep these funds invested toward student achievement in public schools that are open to all students.
Gov. Mike Kehoe delivers his first State of the State Address as Missouri governor on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at the Missouri Capitol. Photo courtesy of Gov. Mike Kehoe's Office
Gov. Mike Kehoe delivers his first State of the State Address as Missouri governor on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at the Missouri Capitol. Photo courtesy of Gov. Mike Kehoe's Office
For the first time since 2017, the governor is recommending that the Foundation Formula not be fully funded. This formula is the state’s method to determine how much money goes to public schools. In their budget request, the State Board of Education indicated that it would cost close to an additional $500 million to fully fund the formula. The department's request includes approximately $300 million in additional costs due to the statutorily required State Adequacy Target (SAT) increase and an additional $200 million as a result of the changes passed as part of SB727 (2024). The governor’s request of the General Assembly chooses only to fund those changes from SB727 (2024) and not the increase in the SAT from $6,760 to $7,145, resulting in an additional $200 million of preK-12 support but not the $500 million as prescribed by law.
Kehoe expressed his dissatisfaction with the growth of the current formula and used that as motivation for not adding additional formula dollars.
“The Foundation Formula in its current form has gotten out of control,” Kehoe said in his speech. “With funding requirements this body has implemented as well as changing educational needs across the state, we no longer feel the formula, as currently written, appropriately allocates funding for public education. We must find a solution that does a better job of incentivizing performance and managing unrealistic annual adjustments.”
The governor committed to modernizing the 20-year-old Foundation Formula, alleging that while funding for public schools has steadily increased, student outcomes have not kept pace. A new executive order from Kehoe will form a School Funding Modernization Task Force to recommend updates that prioritize accountability and performance and ensure students and schools receive funding that better aligns with their needs.
MSTA was pleased to see that the governor did signal support for teachers, including stable funding for the Baseline Salary Grant and Career Ladder. MSTA will work with the legislature and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to ensure there is enough funding available to fulfill the promises made as part of SB727 (2024). The request also included an additional $15 million each to fully fund transportation and the newly expanded Small Schools Grant.
School safety and student behavior were also highlighted as areas of concern, supporting what MSTA has known for a long time: the degradation in student behavior is one of the top challenges the profession faces when it comes to recruitment and retention of school staff.
The governor’s education agenda, like many before him, leans heavily into workforce readiness. With $15 million earmarked for career and technical education centers and $5 million in ongoing funding to help meet operational needs, the governor intends for Missouri students to give students access to more hands-on training in fields that drive the economy. Another executive order created the Governor’s Workforce of the Future Challenge, which will aim to strengthen coordination among schools, businesses, and higher education to create career-ready graduates.
Below is a list of key line items in the governor’s budget that MSTA will be closely monitoring, along with differences compared to what the department originally requested:
House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee holds hearing on open enrollment bill
On Wednesday, the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee conducted a hearing on this year’s version of the open enrollment bill. HB711 (Pollitt) would create a framework for open enrollment of public school students throughout Missouri and allow students to enroll in nonresident public schools. This legislation claims to create a “voluntary” system, yet it is only voluntary as to whether or not a district will accept students. If a transfer student decides at any time to return to the resident district, the resident district is again responsible for the education of that student.
HB711 is substantially similar to past versions of open enrollment bills filed by Rep. Brad Pollitt. One of the main differences in this year’s bill is that Pollitt no longer wants to fund the program with a prescribed amount, which would leave DESE and the General Assembly to either allocate funds to the “Parent Public School Choice Fund” or cause additional costs to come from the formula and transportation funding. Regardless of whether the legislature funds the provisions of the bill, failing to appropriate the money doesn’t eliminate the additional expense.
MSTA Education Policy Director Matt Michelson testifies in opposition to open enrollment HB711 during a House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 29. Video courtesy of the Missouri House of Representatives
The other change in HB711 from previous versions is that this year’s bill would create a massive repository within DESE to run the lottery open enrollment program.
MSTA opposes open enrollment based on MSTA Adopted Resolutions with the following concerns:
- School Consolidation: Open enrollment will lead to school consolidation. This legislation could leave districts unable to support all students in the community.
- Special Education: This legislation could allow districts to deny students based on special education status if the transfer district determines they cannot meet the special education student’s needs, allowing districts to discriminate against special needs students. However, it was indicated in committee that this section, which has been included in the bill for the past several years, will finally be removed in a committee substitute.
- Lack of Measure for Success: There is no clear indicator in the legislation of what a successful program would look like. The legislation claims it is designed to improve the quality of instruction and education programs, yet there are no evaluations contained in the bill that would look at how well open enrollment is or is not achieving these goals.
- Costs: In previous years, the bill sponsor placed an $80 million price tag on the legislation, creating a “Parent Public School Choice Fund” to pay for transportation services for transfer students which are already provided to resident students.
- Financial Implications/Anti-Collaboration: Open enrollment will pit schools against one another to compete for students and the funding associated with them. Funding that would normally go toward student learning would then be spent on recruiting students and competing with neighboring districts.
- Loss of Community Ties: Schools often act as focal points in communities, providing services, cultural events, and a unifying identity. Widespread open enrollment could erode the sense of ownership and attachment residents have for “their” schools, especially if enrollment declines enough to threaten a school’s viability.
According to our Adopted Resolutions, MSTA supports each local school district developing a written policy for transfer and assignment of students within a district and to any other school district. MSTA opposes legislative actions involving the concept of inter-district choice and open enrollment.
Open enrollment may appear to offer families greater choice, but it brings significant challenges for communities across Missouri. Major concerns include funding instability, the potential for worsening inequalities, logistical burdens, and the erosion of community identity. A one-size-fits-all open enrollment plan could exacerbate existing educational disparities rather than improve overall academic outcomes.
This type of open enrollment would create a less efficient public education system that doesn’t measure achievement, increases bureaucracy, and costs more money to educate the same children.
Senate Education Committee holds informational meeting
The Senate Education Committee held an informational question and answer session with State Commissioner of Education Dr. Karla Eslinger. Eslinger took over as DESE commissioner on July 1, 2024. Eslinger began her career as a classroom teacher, then served in district-level administration before becoming a school superintendent. She has previously served as an assistant commissioner in DESE’s Office of Educator Quality before working for education data management company AEM Corporation and providing technical assistance to the U.S. Department of Education. She was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves as a State Senator for District 33.
Chair of the Senate Education Committee Sen. Rick Brattin led the questioning to ask about the department and the future of education in the state. Eslinger explained the role and scope of DESE, which is responsible for more than $9 billion of funding passed through to local school districts. The department is responsible for the new Office of Childhood as well as the schools for the severely disabled. The commissioner indicated that she wants to be collaborative and work through solutions while working together to address issues across the state.
In a preview to the governor’s announcement of a new task force to study a new funding formula, Eslinger said that the current school Foundation Formula is 20 years old and needs to be looked at but also indicated that this large of an undertaking will result in “winners and losers.”
Dr. Karla Eslinger, photo courtesy of DESE
Dr. Karla Eslinger, photo courtesy of DESE
Plan your Capitol Visit
Each MSTA region holds a Capitol Visit each year during the legislative session. These visits give members the chance to share their experiences with decision-makers in Jefferson City.
Register for your Capitol Visit here.
What to do 1-2 months prior to your visit: Ask permission from your school administration to attend your assigned Capitol Visit as a PD opportunity. It is also a good idea to schedule a meeting with your legislator prior to your visit.
What to do 1-2 weeks prior to your visit: Gather input from your fellow MSTA members and school administration about issues impacting your district. Have positive stories to share about your district, too.
What to wear: Business casual attire is appropriate. It is also encouraged to wear a shirt showcasing your district and comfortable shoes.
Where to go: Use the front entrance at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. Everyone will meet in the third-floor rotunda East Alcove at 9 a.m. on the day of the visit.
What to say: Introduce yourself and your group members to your legislator. Highlight programs and address concerns regarding your district and profession.
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