JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven鈥檚 surprise announcement last week that she would resign in July has reignited
debate on the direction of public education in Missouri.
Vandeven鈥檚 planned departure, after two separate stints at the helm since 2015, creates a rare opportunity for a change in leadership at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 鈥 following an emphasis by Republicans in recent years on social issues in education as a central campaign topic.
Two top Republican lawmakers, in an open letter Wednesday, were quick to call for a new leader who would 鈥減rioritize the values and goals of Missouri parents over non-governmental organizations鈥 and eliminate 鈥渂loat and mission creep鈥 at the education department.
Democrats, meanwhile, who are in the minority in Missouri, are pushing for the next commissioner to be an experienced defender of public education in the school-choice debate.
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鈥淚 want to see somebody who鈥檚 going to actually help our kids and move them forward,鈥 said Sen. Doug Beck, D-Affton.
Some names being floated as possibilities for the state鈥檚 top education job include former school superintendents Tiffany Anderson of Jennings, Mike Fulton of Pattonville, John Jungmann of Springfield and Frank Killian of Richland.
The eight-member Board of Education tasked with hiring the next education commissioner is also facing major changes.
Half of the current members of the state Board of Education are serving expired terms, and Republican Gov. Mike Parson鈥檚 team is discussing the possibility of new faces for the board before he leaves office in 2025.
The governor鈥檚 nominees would require confirmation in the Missouri Senate, which is expected to be consumed next year with political rancor as a slew of senators vie for higher office.
Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, the co-chair of the Legislature鈥檚 Joint Education Committee, in a statement on social media Wednesday announced that he and co-chair Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, had sent an open letter to the Board of Education in the wake of Vandeven鈥檚 announcement.
鈥淲e need to downsize DESE, focus singularly upon classroom instruction, value ed choice, remove woke activism, and regain parental trust and confidence,鈥 Richey .
In their letter, the Republican co-chairs urged a 鈥渞eturn to basics,鈥 saying schools were struggling to attain acceptable outcomes and regain parental trust as the purpose of public school had shifted from academic excellence to 鈥渟ocial reconstruction and social programming,鈥 the two lawmakers said.
Koenig and Richey said the board needed to make sure the next commissioner would 鈥減romote local control at the parental level鈥 and 鈥渨ork to regain a singular focus upon classroom instruction.鈥
They also said the next commissioner should discontinue the push to make social emotional learning 鈥渆quivalent to academic learning.鈥
Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, also a member of the joint education committee, viewed Richey and Koenig鈥檚 letter as 鈥渁n admission that after 20 years of Republicans being in charge and chipping away at public education, that, you know, our systems are in bad shape.鈥
Arthur said issues in Missouri public education 鈥 such as a teacher shortage, a lack of state funding for schools, districts moving to four-day weeks and low test scores 鈥 are tied to Republican efforts to 鈥渦ndermine public schools.鈥
Arthur said Richey and Koenig鈥檚 letter discussed getting back to the basics of education, but she said the Republicans were pointing to things that 鈥渋ndicate that they want someone who鈥檚 going to carry a political agenda.鈥
Arthur called for 鈥渦ndoing some of the harm that has happened over the last 20 years instead of finding new hot-button topics as it relates to education to use as a platform for a political campaign.鈥
Senate Majority Leader Cindy O鈥橪aughlin, R-Shelbina, said Friday she had spoken with the governor鈥檚 office about the expired terms on the Board of Education since Vandeven鈥檚 announcement on Tuesday.
鈥淭hey (the governor鈥檚 office) gave me a call, and I think that they鈥檙e talking with people, and basically what they said was, you know, 鈥榃e want to find people that we know the majority of the Senate can support,鈥 so I guess it remains to be seen who they come up with,鈥 O鈥橪aughlin said.
O鈥橪aughlin said 鈥渢here will be some thought that that should be left to the next governor, but I think if they come up with somebody that, you know, the majority can agree on, then, no problem.鈥
Finding majorities in the Missouri Senate hasn鈥檛 always been easy amid infighting between mainstream and hard-line Republicans.
Mainstream Republicans have relied on Democratic votes in recent years to approve spending bills.
The terms of four out of eight board members have expired 鈥 Charlie Shields of St. Joseph in July 2020, Donald Claycomb of Linn in July 2021, Carol Hallquist of Kansas City in July 2022 and Peter Herschend of Branson in July 2023.
A spokesman for the governor said Friday that his office is discussing new 鈥渁ppointments and/or reappointments鈥 to the state board, but there is no timeline.
鈥淕overnor Parson is prioritizing a path forward that will ensure stability and continuity at DESE,鈥 said press secretary Johnathan Shiflett.