Vol. 43, No. 3
January 15, 2009
State Board of Education Names Interim Leader for DESE
Bert Schulte will fill top education post
Bert Schulte has been named interim commissioner of education by the State Board of Education, replacing D. Kent King who died last week (Jan. 7). The board voted to approve Schulte’s appointment during its meeting today in Jefferson City.
For the past five years, Schulte has been deputy commissioner of education and second-in-command at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. He joined the staff of the state education agency in 2001.
“It has been my privilege to work closely with Kent King and the State Board of Education for the past five years and to be involved with national- and state-level issues in education. My goals will be to maintain Commissioner King’s focus on the welfare of all Missouri kids and to using the resources of the state education agency to help local schools do their jobs more effectively,” Schulte said.
A veteran teacher and school administrator in mid-Missouri, Schulte began his career as an elementary teacher at Hallsville in 1974. He joined the Jefferson City Public Schools in 1977 as an elementary principal and later served as director of elementary education (1987-91).
Dr. Schulte joined the Columbia Public Schools in 1991 where he served for 10 years as an assistant superintendent, prior to joining DESE.
Dr. Schulte, 56, resides in Columbia. He and his wife, Debbie, have two adult daughters, one of whom is a public school teacher in St. Louis County.