“You had one job to do!”
In the movie “Oceans Eleven,” actor Don Cheadle succinctly voiced his frustration as he scolded his mates who were trying to break into a safe. Cheadle, who was the safecracker in the heist, was frustrated that his fellow robbers had failed to neutralize the vault’s alarm system. As a result, authorities were alerted to the crime being committed.
When it comes to education in the state of Missouri, the State Board of Education had one job this month, and they failed miserably.
The State Board of Education has one primary job: be a champion of education, and advocate for sufficient funding and support for our state’s public schools.
This year, the board clearly got an “F” on this assignment.
On Sept. 15, the State Board of Education declined to seek a roughly $300 million increase in funding to fully fund the state’s public school funding formula for next year. Instead, it asked lawmakers to just allocate the same amount that schools received this year.
Keep in mind, the 2026 state budget underfunded the foundation formula requirement by about $190 million.
There is no doubt that leaner times are ahead for the state’s budget. Federal monies that once pumped up the state budget have been spent or allocated. And legislators have been signaling that leaner days are ahead when it comes to state funding.
And that message was clearly in the minds of state school board members when they were reviewing the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s proposed budget.
Board members were deadlocked over DESE’s proposed budget with some board members saying they believed the board should only request money that lawmakers are likely to provide. Ultimately, the board came to an agreement; they would only seek what they had received last year.
It’s not the board’s responsibility to guess what might pass muster with legislators. The board’s job is to advocate for students and explain why the school districts need a fully funded foundation formula.
Underfunding the formula is a decision for lawmakers to make and one for which they should be held accountable.
The state board of education’s job is to tell the governor and the Legislature what the state’s public schools really need to survive and thrive. Then, it’s up to legislators and the governor to figure out a solution.
Instead, the board gave up before the discussion even began. And by that decision, the board made an already difficult financial situation for school districts even more perilous.
But thankfully, the board does not have the last word.
The governor and the General Assembly can right this ship as they begin assembling the budget early next year.
Fully funding education must be a priority in this state; put simply, it’s an investment in our future.
Failure to meet that obligation cannot be allowed. That would be a crime.