The Office of College and Career Readiness presented the updated K-12 Missouri School Counseling Learning Standards based on the 14-day comment period in June 2024. The department delayed the typical process of approving standards into regulation due to the overturn of leadership at DESE and the significant updates that had to be made to the standards due to public comment.
The new counseling standards are separated into three categories– Academic, Career, and Intrapersonal/Interpersonal. The updated standards, which hadn’t been updated since the 1990s, are similar to the current American School Counselor Association (ASCA) standards. The association supports these updates as they help bolster comprehensive school counseling programs in districts (C-20).
Pursuant to 5 CSR 20-400.440, Dr. Paul Katnik and Dr. Darryl Fridley presented the Annual Performance Report for all Educator Preparation Programs (EPP) in the state of Missouri. All 42 programs were approved for full accreditation as a result of the APR-EPP results, which include multiple data sets: certification exam scores, GPA (Content, Pedagogical, or Program), Performance Assessments (University Supervisors and K-12 Clinical Supervisor), and First-Year Educator Survey (Educators and K-12 Supervisor).
“The Missouri NEA believes that all teacher preparation programs in Missouri should undergo a rigorous and regular evaluation by a trained team of evaluators based upon the professional accreditation guidelines of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Each evaluation team should include practicing, public school classroom teachers” (G-2).
- DESE presents its Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Report
During Dr. Kerri Monsees’ and Pam Victor’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Report presentation, the State Board President, Charlie Shields, reminded members of the board and listeners that “Missouri is in quarter 1 of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget process.”
The initial report shows the department’s requests alongside Governor Kehoe’s recommendations. As of this early part of the FY26 Budget process, there is a $300 million deficit from the department’s request. Programs that were not recommended by the governor include: Literacy program funding, literacy coaches, Missouri Teacher Development System, Missouri Leadership Development System, Teacher Recruitment and Retention State Scholarship Program, and Competency Based Education initiatives (Success Ready Student Network). The governor did recommend fully funding transportation, small schools grant, and childcare subsidy prospective payments.
The Foundation Formula is the biggest line item in the budget request from the department at $497 million, and Governor Kehoe only put $200 million of additional GR to fund that, which means it covers all of 727 changes but not enough to raise the State Adequacy Target (SAT - the base amount the state pays public schools for each student) in any significant way.
When asked about the implications of the budget being $300 million short, Dr. Monsees said that “district funding levels could change based on the provisions in 727 including incentive for 5-day school week, the new funding surrounding enrollment vs. attendance, and possible benefit from Pre-K allowance…extra pieces are funded but not much more from normal funding.” Further, Dr. Monsees was asked about the federal funding and if it was in jeopardy, which reiterated the uncertainty at that level at this time.
“The Missouri NEA believes that federal funding for public education should be increased to fully fund all federal education mandates…and that equitable and adequate funding is critical to the future of public education in Missouri. The total wealth of the state should be distributed as equitably as possible for the public education of each child in Missouri. State support for public education should be no less than one-third of the state general revenue” (A-10, 11).
The strategic plan committee of the State Board gave an update on the new scorecard for the roadmaps for the department’s strategic plan. The State Board will use this scorecard annually to refresh the priorities and actions of the board and the department.
The strategic plan committee continues with their state-wide stakeholder engagement meetings regarding the strategic plan to get feedback from education and business leaders in communities across the state. Missouri NEA attends these meetings when they occur.
MNEA believes that every student and educator deserves the best experience possible in schools. That is why we are the only educational organization that is consistently present at every meeting of DESE, the state board of education, and the Missouri Legislature. We are your eyes and ears where decisions are being made about your schools.
The next meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education will be held on March 4, 2025, at the Special Olympics in Jefferson City, Missouri. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Samantha Hayes at 800-392-0236 or Samantha.Hayes@mnea.org.
The monthly State Board Report is also available in podcast form at MNEA Connects. Listen and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Podbean, or Spotify.