The Missouri State Board of Education: Overseeing Education in the Show-Me State
The Missouri State Board of Education plays a vital role in shaping the educational landscape of the state. With a broad range of responsibilities, from setting academic standards to accrediting local school districts, the Board's decisions impact students, teachers, and communities across Missouri.
Constitutional Basis and Composition
The Missouri Constitution vests the supervision of instruction in public schools in a state board of education, granting it general authority for public education within the limits set by the General Assembly.
The Board consists of eight citizen members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. To ensure continuity and balance, members serve staggered, eight-year terms, with one term expiring each year. The composition of the Board is carefully regulated to prevent any single political party from holding a majority (no more than four members from the same party) and to ensure geographic representation (no more than one member from the same county or Congressional district). Members continue to serve after their terms expire until they are either replaced or reappointed. The Board elects its own officers annually, and members receive $25 for each day of official meetings.
In 2018, the General Assembly added a teacher representative to the Board, further incorporating the perspectives of educators into the Board's decision-making process.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Missouri State Board of Education's duties and responsibilities span from preschool to postsecondary and adult education. While it lacks direct authority over higher education institutions, the Board plays a crucial role in setting standards for and approving courses and professional programs for teachers and school administrators in Missouri’s public and private higher education institutions.
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Under federal law, the Board acts as the state-level governing body for career and technical education programs offered by local school districts, community colleges, and four-year institutions.
It is important to note that the Board has no authority to regulate or accredit private, parochial, or home schools in the state.
The Board's major duties include:
- Appointing the Commissioner of Education and setting policies for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
- Defining academic performance standards and assessment requirements for public schools.
- Accrediting local school districts through the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP).
- Establishing requirements for the education, testing, assessment, certification, and recertification of all public school teachers and administrators.
- Operating the Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis and Mountain Grove, Missouri.
Accreditation of School Districts: The Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP)
The Board accredits school districts through the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP), which sets minimum standards for various aspects of school operations. These standards include high school graduation requirements, curriculum guidelines, student testing protocols, and support services. The MSIP ensures that all school districts in Missouri meet a baseline level of quality in their educational offerings and operations.
In 2020, the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA) and its members successfully advocated for the expansion of the weekly plan time requirement in MSIP 6. Following over 5,400 public comments from educators and stakeholders, the Board reversed its initial decision to remove the requirement and broadened the MSIP 6 Effective Teaching and Learning Standard. The standard now mandates that certificated and licensed educators who provide instruction to students on a full-time basis receive adequate self-directed planning time, at least 250 minutes per week (prorated as appropriate). The updated language also includes counselors, librarians, and early childhood educators, who were previously excluded. MSIP 6 explicitly states that this planning time is "self-directed," allowing educators to use their professional judgment in how they utilize their time each day.
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Current Board Members
As of late 2025, the Missouri State Board of Education comprises the following members:
- Kenneth "Brooks" Miller Jr. (R), Sunrise Beach: Appointed in April 2025. He previously served as the president and CEO of Jordan Valley Community Health Center. In addition to his professional career, he has served as the vice president of the Springfield Board of Public Utilities and was most recently on the Truman State University Board of Governors.
- Michael Matousek (R), Kansas City: Appointed in April 2025. He serves as the director of the Government Freight Conference at the American Trucking Association. He has previous experience as the state legislative affairs director for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and legislative director in the Office of Congressman Sam Graves.
- Jon Otto (I), Kansas City: Appointed in April 2025, focusing on corporate governance, SEC compliance, corporate finance, and real estate transactions. Prior to joining Evergy, he was an attorney at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP and Polsinelli, PC law firms. Otto has served as a board member for Académie Lafayette Public Charter Schools, University Health KC, Missouri Charter Public School Association, Child Protection Center, Minddrive, and the UMKC Law Alumni Association.
- Dr. Gretchen Shull, Webb City: Appointed in October 2025. She is a Board Certified Endocrinologist practicing in Joplin, Missouri with Mercy. Dr. Shull completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Endocrine Fellowship with the University of Kansas School of Medicine and her medical degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Throughout her time in practice, she’s developed several programs with the aim of reducing barriers to care as well as reducing healthcare costs overall. In 2016, she was recognized with the physician award, Salute to Healthcare for the Joplin Business Journal. Dr. Shull also currently serves as the Physician Lead for the Endocrinology Specialty Council and as the Medical Director of Diabetes Care for Mercy, Ministry.
- Kerry Casey (R), Chesterfield: Appointed in November 2021. Casey recently retired from her position as Vice President of Exegy, a global leader in financial market data, trading platforms, and predictive signals, where she was responsible for Global Sales Operations and Enablement Casey was a founding board member of the KIPP Charter School in St. Louis and served on the board of directors until her appointment to the State Board. She is also a board member for the Lift for Life Gym and the Patriot Training Foundation and a past board member of Junior Achievement of Greater St. Louis.
- Dr. Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge (D), Pasadena Hills: Appointed in January 2020. Westbrooks-Hodge is a former Vice President of the Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board and recently retired General Partner from Edward Jones, where she co-led the Internal Audit Division. She previously worked for Express Scripts, Anheuser-Busch and Bank of America in senior governance, risk and compliance roles and held certifications in financial, operational, and information systems auditing. She has considerable expertise in strategy formulation and execution and talent development and earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Northwest Missouri State University, then her master's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St.
Influence and Strategic Direction
The board’s largest power is hiring and directing the education commissioner. Another area of influence is the strategic plan set by the board, which guides the commissioner’s leadership of the department. In 2022, the board convened a blue ribbon commission to study the state’s teacher shortage.
Staying Alert to the Issues
MNEA and its members saved and expanded the weekly plan time requirement in 2020 for MSIP 6. With more than 5,400 public comments from educators and stakeholders, the Board reversed its decision to remove the requirement and expanded the MSIP 6 Effective Teaching and Learning Standard to read: Adequate self-directed planning time, at least 250 minutes per week, is provided to certificated and licensed educators who provide instruction to students on a full-time basis (prorated as appropriate). Plan time is based on local context and is aligned to best practice guidelines.
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