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The State Board of Education’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission is charged with delivering a report to the State Board in October 2022, which will provide a summary of the Commission’s work along with clear action steps, suggested legislative and policy changes, and any other specific and measurable strategies recommended to address teacher recruitment and retention challenges in Missouri.

Commission Hosts Public Engagement Meetings

The State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission, is hosting a series of public engagement meetings (one in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts) to:

  • Spread the word about the teacher recruitment and retention challenges in our state 
  • Share the recommendations developed by the Blue Ribbon Commission
  • Ask for buy-in from all Missourians to support efforts to address this crisis

View, download, and/or print the meeting series flyer. All meetings will take place from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the following locations:

  • October 24: Knob Noster Middle School cafeteria, 211 East Wimer Street, Knob Noster
  • October 25: Jefferson City Schools Dix Road Education Center, 204 Dix Road, Jefferson City
  • November 7: Maplewood Richmond Heights, High School Auditorium, 7500 Lohmeyer Avenue, Maplewood
  • November 9: Osage Trail Middle School Cafeteria, 2101 N. Twyman Road, Independence
  • November 10: Chillicothe High School, Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center, 2801 Hornet Road, Chillicothe
  • November 15: Parkway Welcome Center, 760 Woods Mill Road, Ballwin
  • November 16: Nixa Junior High, 205 North St., Nixa
  • November 17: Kay Porter Theatre, 1302 Victory Lane, Poplar Bluff

​​​​​​​Meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend in-person; meetings will not be livestreamed.

Commission Sought Educator Input

The online surveys for Missouri educators to provide feedback directly to Missouri’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission closed on August 5. The survey findings were presented to the Commission during their virtual meeting on August 15.

A public hearing for educators to provide feedback in-person took place on Wednesday, August 3 at the Governor Office Building, 200 Madison Street, Jefferson City. The hearing was live-streamed and recorded. Speakers were chosen randomly and asked to provide no more than three minutes of remarks in response to the following prompt: Please share specific policy and practice shifts to improve the educator experience that you would like to see in the Commission’s recommendations to the State Board of Education.

Commission Meeting Dates

Post-meeting reports/summaries will be available approximately two weeks after each session. Virtual meetings will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/modese/blueribboncommission. Doors will remain open at in-person meetings for observers.

Commission Membership

The 17+ member commission shall consist of the following:

  • 5 - 10 Business Leaders
  • 4 Legislators (two representatives and two senators, one from each political party)
  • 3 State Board of Education (State Board)
  • 1 Governor’s Staff
  • 1 Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
  • 2 Educators
  • 1 School Leader

While the commission is limited to the members above, the commission shall have the authority to establish workgroups that will provide expert input and feedback on teacher recruitment and retention strategies.

Click here to learn more about the Blue Ribbon Commission members.

Commission Goals

  • Develop a set of recommendations and clear action steps that address teacher recruitment and retention solutions, incorporating feedback and perspective from a wide range of stakeholders and Missouri citizens.
    • Provide guidance on processes and timelines, as well as the communication tactics and community engagement needed to meet the State Board’s goals of increasing teacher pay and improving retention.
    • Develop strategies for addressing long term and sustainable funding for increased teacher compensation.
    • Establish processes and strategies to attract the next generation of promising Missouri students to pursue a career in education, working to improve lives through education in their home state.
    • Investigate the climate and culture inside and outside the classroom impacting the well-being of our teachers and the respect for the profession as a whole.
  • Assist the State Board in garnering support for the group’s teacher recruitment and retention priorities. This includes guidance on navigating perception challenges from legislators and Missouri citizens, while clearly communicating the impact teacher recruitment and retention improvements could have on Missouri students, the future of public education, and overall economic development in our state.
  • Develop a set of measurable benchmarks for DESE to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the commission’s work.
  • Work on aggressive timeline to provide an actionable set of recommendations to the State Board by October 1, 2022.

Commission Documents

The following data packets were prepared by The Hunt Institute and shared with Commission members in advance of the group’s meetings.

Additional Information