One GOP senator is tapped to lead Missouri’s education department, another wants to dissolve it

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (WGEM) - On Tuesday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the appointment of Republican state Sen. Karla Eslinger as the next commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, but if another Republican senator gets his way, the department will be dismantled entirely.

The position of DESE commissioner, which has been occupied by Margie Vandeven since January 2019, is responsible for “seek[ing] in every way to elevate the standards and efficiency of the instruction given in the public schools of the state.”

The department is organized into two divisions; One which oversees learning services and another which oversees financial and administrative services. The department operates as the administrative arm of the state board of education and has been in its current form since passage of the Omnibus State Reorganization Act of 1974.

However, under a piece of legislation submitted by state Sen. Bill Eigel, R-St. Charles, the department would be dissolved and its employees and assets distributed to other state agencies.

If the law passed, the Commissioner would continue to serve as the chief administrative officer of the state board and would be responsible for implementing the transition, according to the bill’s description.

“As governor, I am going to dismantle DESE and continue to lead the fight against children being used as research experiments for leftist agendas,” Eigel posted on social media. “No to government bureaucracy in education. No to Social Emotional Learning.”

Eigel referred to a set of state standards drafted over the summer which would help students develop better interpersonal skills, or “soft skills.” The standards were later shelved after the board of education determined there was too much public misunderstanding about the concept of Social Emotional Learning.

“I hope he doesn’t dissolve DESE,” Eslinger said. “It’s a critical part of the success of schools all across our state and I want to be able to continue doing that work.”

Eslinger went on to say better access to public education leads to a healthier democracy and a more engaged electorate.

“If we don’t have public schools, then we don’t have an educated society – and if you don’t have an educated society, how can you have a democracy,” Eslinger said. “Every child needs to have the opportunity to learn and to grow and to pet to reach their goals and so, unless we have that for every child, then we truly do not have a democracy. That’s the cornerstone of why we must protect, support and make sure it’s the best possible program at all that we can do for public schools.”

Eigel filed an identical bill in the 2023 session, which never made it out of the Education and Workforce Development Committee. He also filed a separate bill which would, among other provisions, allow individual school districts to break away from DESE and operate independently from the state. These districts would still be able to receive state and federal funding, but would not be required to participate in state assessments, reviews, or school improvement plans set by the state board of education.

Other candidates running for Governor have very different plans for Missouri education.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Crystal Quade, who serves as the House Minority Leader, criticized Eigel’s proposal as a grasp for attention.

“The bizarre idea that we should destroy the department dedicated to educating and preparing young Missourians is simply another attention-seeking ploy from the same candidate who said he’d proudly host book burnings on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion,” Quade said in a statement to the bureau. “I’m excited to work with Senator Eslinger to ensure our public schools are fully-funded and able to succeed.”

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who is running as a Republican, responded only by saying that he would “shift power” away from the department, but didn’t say whether he’d close it.

“While the state Board of Education and DESE operate under a constitutional mandate, I’d shift power from DESE to parents, who should have more say over their children’s education,” Ashcroft said in a statement to the bureau. “No one cares more about the quality of education our kids receive than parents.”

The bureau did not receive a response from Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe nor from Democratic candidate Mike Hamra.

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