JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri State Board of Education (State Board) welcomed two new members at its Aug. 18 meeting and received updates on several key initiatives. State Board members were briefed on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Fiscal Year (FY) 2028 budget. They also heard an update on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), DESE’s Office of Childhood (DESE-OOC), the proposed A–F grade card framework, and ongoing school safety efforts.
New Members Sworn In
Michael McDonald, a Park Hill School District mathematics teacher, becomes the first active classroom teacher to serve on the State Board. McDonald fills the seat of the teacher representative, which has been vacant since the statute went into effect in 2018 under section 161.026, RSMo.
Vincent Schoemehl Jr., education leader and former mayor of St. Louis City, fills the seat for the 1st Congressional District. The seat was previously held by Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge who was appointed by the State Board in 2020.
Read more about the new State Board members here.
Budget Highlights
Kyle Kruse, DESE Deputy Commissioner of Financial and Administrative Services, and Rebecca Jackson, DESE Chief Budget Officer, presented DESE’s FY28 budget materials outlining needs-driven initiatives and supplemental funding requests.
The update on the FY28 budget, including new decision items and supplemental proposals, highlighted strengthening district operations and improving student outcomes. The proposal calls for increases to the foundation formula, additional transportation reimbursements, and expanded support for career and technical education. This includes $110 million driven by changes in student count calculations (attendance to enrollment-based funding) and $190 million carried over from the prior year’s unfunded formula increase.
Kruse and Jackson emphasized that the funding recommendations are driven by statute and the operational needs of Missouri schools. State Board members recognized the department’s obligation to submit a budget that meets district needs, while also acknowledging public concern over the state’s projected general revenue shortfall and the roughly $400 million increase expected next year — an increase driven by the formula alone.
As the FY28 budget process continues, DESE will work with state leaders to help ensure Missouri students and schools have the resources necessary for success.
View the FY28 budget presentation slides here.
Preliminary Statewide MAP Results
DESE presented preliminary statewide 2025-26 MAP results, showing modest gains across English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies in both Grade-Level and high school End-of-Course (EOC) assessments.
MAP assessments are administered annually in ELA and mathematics for grades 3-8, and once in high school. Science is assessed once at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Social studies is assessed in high school.
Review the 2025–26 statewide MAP scores here.
DESE Office of Childhood (DESE-OOC) Update
Jocelyn Schluss, DESE‑OOC Assistant Commissioner, highlighted continued progress in Missouri's early childhood system. She reported that nearly 80% of Missouri Quality Pre‑K Grant participants demonstrate stronger kindergarten readiness skills. Afterschool grant participants also show strong results: 90% demonstrate higher engagement in school data also indicates improved reading and math scores for many of these students.
Schluss also outlined updates to child care licensing rules, work towards improving the child care subsidy market-rate system, and expanding Innovation Grants that support provider quality and safety. DESE-OOC continues to see growth in training participation, broader home-visiting reach, improved developmental screening and First Steps services.
Missouri’s A‑F Grade Card Framework
Lisa Sireno, DESE’s Deputy Commissioner of Learning Services, updated the State Board on the A–F grade card framework for schools, required by Executive Order 26-01. The goal of the new system is to give families a simple, easy to understand look at how their schools are performing, while keeping Missouri’s current Annual Performance Reports (APR) in place.
Sireno explained that grades K–8 grade cards will include student academic achievement, value-added growth, and growth toward proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), literacy, mathematics, and science.
High schools grade cards will include student academic achievement and value-added growth in ELA, mathematics, and science, as well as Success-Ready Graduate measures and four-year graduation rate.
DESE submitted the framework to the governor’s office on June 30 and will ask the State Board to approve it at its next meeting.
View the A-F grade card framework presentation slides here.
Read the news release about the A-F grading framework here.
School Safety Update
Experts are encouraging Missouri to modernize its definition of persistently dangerous schools so it aligns with newer, incident‑based federal guidance. They note this update could strengthen the state’s existing safety framework by improving clarity and consistency in reporting. The goal is to improve school safety reporting, not to stigmatize schools, and further strengthen Missouri’s commitment to safe learning environments.
The State Board asked the department to review and provide updates.
Other State Board Business
Also on Tuesday, the State Board approved several administrative rule updates, including changes to how sheltered workshops are created, operated, funded and certified. The State Board also approved both proposed and emergency updates to the rule governing how vocational education programs are implemented.
Looking Ahead
The State Board’s next meeting is Sept. 15 in Jefferson City.
Meeting Materials
Click here to review all the presentation slides from the meeting.