Facts About the Missouri State Board of Education
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According to the Missouri Constitution, “The supervision of instruction in the public schools shall be vested in a state board of education ...” (Article IX, Section 2a). This provision gives the State Board of Education general authority for public education, within limits set by the General Assembly. (See Section 161.122 through 161.102, RSMo, for the Board's statutory authority.)
The Board is made up of eight citizens appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Members serve staggered, eight-year terms so that one term expires each year. No more than four members of the Board may belong to the same political party. No more than one member of the Board may reside in the same county or Congressional district. When terms expire, members continue to serve until being replaced or reappointed. The Board elects its own officers each year. Members receive $25 for each day of an official meeting.
The Board’s duties and responsibilities range from preschool to the postsecondary and adult levels. The Board does not have direct authority over higher education institutions. However, the Board sets standards for and approves courses and professional programs for teachers and school administrators in Missouri’s public and private higher education institutions.
Under federal law, the Board serves as the state-level governing body for career and technical education programs provided by local school districts, community colleges and four-year institutions.
The Board has no authority to regulate or accredit private, parochial or home schools in the state.
The Board’s major duties include:
• Appointing the Commissioner of Education and setting policies for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• Defining academic performance standards and assessment requirements for public schools.
• Accrediting local school districts. The Board accredits school districts through the “Missouri School Improvement Program,” which includes minimum standards for high school graduation, curriculum, student testing, support services and other areas of school operations.
• Establishing requirements for the education, testing, assessment, certification and recertification of all public school teachers and administrators.
• Operating the Missouri School for the Blind (St. Louis), the Missouri School for the Deaf (Fulton), and the statewide system of State Schools for Severely Handicapped.
• Overseeing federal education programs and the distribution of federal funds to school districts.
• Establishing regulations for school bus safety and for fiscal management in local school districts.
• Submitting annual budget recommendations for education to the Missouri Legislature.
• Administering the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Sheltered Workshop programs, which provide services for adult Missouri citizens with disabilities.
MISSOURI STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
PRESIDENT
- Russell V. Thompson, Columbia, was appointed to the Board in November 1994; he was re-appointed in December 2002. He had previously served as president of the Board from 2000-2002. He is a professional educator who spent his entire career with the Columbia Public Schools. Dr. Thompson retired in 1994 after serving nearly 20 years as superintendent. He is active in numerous educational and civic organizations.
VICE PRESIDENT
- David Liechti, St. Joseph, was appointed to the Board in October 2003. He is a self-employed Certified Public Accountant. He is a former member and president of the St. Joseph Board of Education. Mr. Liechti earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is active in numerous community organizations.
MEMBERS
- Rev. Stan Archie, Kansas City, was appointed to the Board in December 2006. He is senior pastor of the Christian Fellowship Baptist Church. He serves as president of the Kansas City Leadership Foundation, an organization devoted to community betterment and strengthening individual ethics and character. Rev. Archie earned a degree in divinity and organizational leadership at Calvary Bible College and a master’s degree in education at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
- Deborah L. Demien, Wentzville, was appointed to the Board in March 2006. She is director of marketing for Demien Construction. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Southwest Missouri State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
- Peter F. Herschend, Branson, was appointed to the State Board of Education in December 1991 and re-appointed for another term in November 1999. He previously served as president of the Board from 1994-96. He is co-owner and vice chairman of Herschend Family Entertainment Corp., Branson, which owns Silver Dollar City and other entertainment properties. He served 12 years on the Branson Board of Education and was vice president of that Board. He also served on the Region 10 executive committee of the Missouri School Boards’ Association.
- Shirley Langley Hindman, Harviell, was appointed to the Board in April 2004. She is retired from Southeast Missouri State University, where she was a professor in the College of Education from 1976-1996. Dr. Hindman has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University and a doctorate degree from Southern Illinois University.
- Sybl Slaughter, Lebanon, was appointed to the Board in October 2003. She retired in 2001 from the Lebanon School District where she was an elementary teacher for 20 years and principal for eight years. Ms. Slaughter holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a former member of the University of Missouri College of Education Alumni Board and is active in several civic organizations.