DESE Update 2026

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2025 Archive 

February 3, 2026

Phishing Attempt on School Districts

On February 2, 2026, DESE was made aware of a phishing attempt on school districts. If you clicked on a link in an email that appeared to come from DESE to update confirm or update your data, please update that password immediately and any other accounts you use that share that password.

If you hover over the email address, you can see it didn’t come from a dese.mo.gov email. DESE will not send a link to update information, typically DESE will ask to go to the site and update your details if that is necessary to ensure you are going to the correct place. It’s best practice NOT to click on a link from email or text messages.

Please see the below image email that was sent out in this latest phishing attempt. 

Phishing Attempt 2/2/26 Email Image Example

 

National School Counseling Week 

School counselors are often the quiet anchors of a school community. They are the ones who notice when a student’s smile doesn’t quite reach their eyes, who listen without judgment when words finally spill out, and who stand steady when a young person’s world feels like it’s falling apart.

Their work goes far beyond schedules and transcripts. School counselors help students navigate academic pressure, mental health concerns, and the overwhelming question of who am I becoming? They help students see possibility when circumstances feel limiting and remind them that their story is still being written.

In moments of crisis, school counselors are a lifeline. In everyday moments, they are guides, advocates, and trusted adults who help students build resilience, confidence, and hope. They collaborate with families, teachers, and administrators to create environments where students feel safe, supported, and valued.

Perhaps most importantly, school counselors believe in students, often before students believe in themselves. The impact of a school counselor may not always be immediately visible, but it lasts a lifetime—in the quiet strength of a student who learned they matter.

School counselors not only support academic, career and intra/interpersonal development; they change lives.

We see you. We appreciate you. We celebrate you.

Thank you for all that you do. 

September 30, 2025
Missouri Framework for School-Based Mental Health

Coming soon to a location near you: Introduction to the Missouri Framework for School-Based Mental Health (SBMH)

SBMH teams are invited to join staff from the SBMH and School Counseling & Student Wellness sections to learn more about the Missouri Framework for School-Based Mental Health (SBMH Framework). Both morning and afternoon session options will be held around the state in October and November in addition to virtual options in December. Visit the DESE Mental Health Resources for School Staff and Students page to learn more about the framework and to register for a session.

The SBMH Framework organizes core features of a comprehensive continuum of supports that schools can use to plan, implement, and continuously improve their SBMH systems. It was informed by national best practices established by the National Center for School Mental Health, comprehensive models developed by other states, and the lived experiences of the interdisciplinary, interagency collaborative that contributed to its development—the Missouri School-Based Mental Health Professionals Collaborative. This collaborative includes leadership from the four state professional organizations representing school-employed mental health professionals in Missouri and the state agencies that support their work:

  • Missouri Association of School Nurses
  • Missouri Association of School Psychologists
  • Missouri School Counselor Association
  • School Social Workers Association of Missouri
  • DESE
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)

With support from the SBMH Interagency Training Team including Department of Mental Health, DHSS, and DESE.

Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant Pilot Program Interest Survey

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant is seeking Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) interested in the Building Bridges: Strengthening Literacy Partnerships Across Missouri pilot program for the 2025-26 school year.

The purpose of Building Bridges: Strengthening Literacy Partnerships Across Missouri is to foster meaningful collaboration between DESE’s CLSD team, Early Literacy Fellows, local education agencies, and EPPs across the state. This partnership will provide a shared space to explore current literacy practices, deepen understanding of mutual challenges, and strengthen the preparation and support of beginning teachers in literacy instruction.

The partnership will possibly include two in-person state meetings and virtual support sessions throughout the year.

Goals:

  1. Increase awareness of current literacy initiatives and practices in both LEAs and higher education settings across Missouri.
  2. Highlight successful partnerships between LEAs and EPPs that support effective literacy instruction.
  3. Promote collaboration by providing structured time for LEA and EPP participants to network and explore potential partnerships.
  4. Identify shared needs and opportunities to better support beginning teachers in delivering high-quality literacy instruction.
  5. Generate actionable ideas for sustainable partnerships that reflect the unique contexts of participating LEAs and EPPs.

Any EPP interested in this opportunity should complete the Building Bridges Interest Survey by October 10, 2025.

September 16, 2025
Substitute Teacher Survey

As the new school year begins, school leaders are reminded that starting in 2022, Senate Bill 681 (2022) directs DESE to maintain a web-based survey for collecting anonymous information from substitute teachers serving in public schools. It further directs that those individuals complete the survey at the end of each day they work as a substitute in a local education agency (LEA). The LEA is to provide the link to the survey to the substitute teacher. If needed, the LEA shall also provide brief access to a computer or other internet connected device for the substitute teacher to complete the survey. The substitute teacher survey can be accessed here. 

The survey collects information about the substitute teacher, including age and level of education. It also collects information about the particular assignment the individual had each day, including the grade, school, and district in which the substitute worked, as well as the rate of pay. Finally, the survey collects information on student health or safety issues that the substitute teacher encountered. You can review last year’s survey results in the 2024-25 Substitute Teacher Survey Report, located on DESE’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention webpage.

For general information about the substitute teacher survey, please contact Paul Katnik, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Educator Quality, at 573-751-2931 or Paul.Katnik@dese.mo.gov.

DESE Asks for Feedback to Refresh the Statewide Education Strategic Plan

DESE and State Board of Education (Board) are seeking stakeholder feedback on a refresh of DESE’s Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan Survey gathers feedback from a variety of stakeholders — including families, community members, business leaders, and educators — on the areas of focus that should be prioritized in Missouri’s Pre-K-12 education strategic plan.

The Statewide Education Strategic Plan Survey

The survey is easy to complete and should take less than 10 minutes. Responses are completely anonymous, and all individual input will be kept confidential. The survey is available online, and the deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 26, 2025.

DESE Recommends Removing 177 Child Care Licensing Rules

The outdated and overlapping rules, found in response to the Governor’s executive order, are included in a comprehensive review to update and revise Missouri child care licensing regulations.

Read the full Child Care Licensing Rules news release here. 

September 2, 2025
DESE is excited to announce that seven educators have advanced as finalists for the 2026 Missouri Teacher of the Year award.

The finalists are:

  • Aubrey Shortino, Lee's Summit R-VII — Trailridge Elementary, Kindergarten
  • Danielle O'Neil, Springfield Public Schools — Sherwood Elementary, K-5 Physical Education
  • Kimberly Sixta, Hickman Mills C-1 — Ruskin High School, Grades 10-12 Social Studies
  • Matthew Kennedy, Kirksville R-III — Kirksville High School, Social Studies
  • Melissa Maness, Special School District St. Louis Co. —South Technical High School, Grades 11-12 Culinary Arts
  • Stephanie Gladbach, Salisbury R-IV — Salisbury High School, Business
  • Timothy G. Ryan, Ferguson Florissant R-II — McCluer North High School, English Language Arts

Read the full news release here. 

DESE Writing Prompt Pilot Program Accepting Applications

DESE is inviting local education agencies (LEAs) and English Language Arts teachers to join a limited pilot of new writing prompts that could become part of the Missouri Assessment Program at grades 4,8, and high school. These new prompts are designed to reveal writing skills and provide meaningful data to support growth. Interested teachers or LEAs can learn more about this opportunity on our pilot program flyer here or apply for this program here. 

2025-2026 Innovation Grant to Start-Up New Child Care Programs Now Available

DESE's Office of Childhood is offering the Innovation Grant to Start-Up a New Child Care Program to help providers open new, licensed child care programs to increase access to child care for families across the state. This opportunity provides funding support through matching business or community partnership contributions. Learn more about the grant and apply on the DESE website here. All applications are due by November 30.

Learning Blade Professional Development Opportunity

DESE partnered with Learning Blade™ to help grades 5-9 students across the state discover and explore careers in STEM, computer science, and career technical education. Learning Blade provides free access to hundreds of interactive, self-paced online lessons, ready-to-use lesson plans, classroom activities, and special modules introducing students to coding and artificial intelligence. Fully aligned with Missouri’s academic standards, this flexible toolkit makes it easier than ever to bring real-world career connected learning into your classrooms in all content areas — whether during class, after school, or as enrichment.

Learning Blade is hosting a national back to school webinar: "From Classroom to Career: Strategies for Career Exploration & Readiness Webinar". Register here for the Wednesday, September 17, from 12:30-1:15 p.m.

For the best training experience, create your account in advance on Learning Blade’s website.

Training is always available at no cost to educators. Schedule a time that works for you here. 

August 26, 2025
Feminine Hygiene Grant for the 2025-26 School Year Now Open

DESE is pleased to announce the 2025-26 Feminine Hygiene Products Grant Program is now available for local education agencies (LEAs). The 2025 Missouri General Assembly appropriated $630,500 for the 2025-26 school year to provide feminine hygiene products for Missouri students enrolled in grades 6-12.

To assist LEAs accessing these funds, DESE has prepared a guidance document that provides details on the allocation methodology, allowable uses of funds, program structure, timeline/period of available use, finance coding, documentation requirements for expenditures, and DESE contact information. The document’s Appendix A provides the allocation formula and allocation amounts for Missouri’s LEAs.

Allocation amounts to LEAs were calculated based on the number of female students in grades 5-11 (current students in grades 6-12), as reported by the LEA in the DESE Core Data October 2024 reporting cycle. DESE included the federal Census Poverty Data (CPD) variable in the allocation formula to assist LEAs with higher concentrations of students with financial needs.

This program provides a minimum grant award of $500 to all LEAs. DESE will pay Feminine Hygiene Grant Funds under Revenue Code 5397 (Other State Revenue). DESE did not create a unique project code for this state funded grant. LEAs will receive these funds as a one-time payment for school year 2025-26 (FY26).

Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant Pilot Program Interest Survey Reminder

DESE Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant is seeking LEAs interested in the Building Bridges: Strengthening Literacy Partnerships Across Missouri pilot program for the 2025-26 school year. The partnership will possibly include two in-person state meetings and virtual support sessions throughout the year. Any LEA interested in this opportunity should complete the Building Bridges Interest Survey by September 5, 2025.

DESE Partnered with SchoolLink to Support Educator Mental Health

DESE partnered with SchoolLink — operated by the Assessment Resource Center of the University of Missouri — to provide free problem-solving support for Missouri school professionals in a trusting, confidential setting. SchoolLink is a team of masters-level professionals with backgrounds in counseling, behavioral intervention, psychology, and educational leadership who will help to problem-solve and connect to resources.

School professionals need support. SchoolLink is here to help people who are experiencing stress, navigating a tough situation, or just have a school-related question and are not sure who to ask.

SchoolLink is available: