School performance distributes on a traditional bell curve for 2022 under new performance system. Source: DESE presentation to the State Board of Education, March 7, 2023.

In conditions some might describe as a perfect storm, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the annual performance report for the 2021-22 school year this week. DESE used the state's latest iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6) for the first time, measuring student progress against a much more rigorous standard following two years of COVID-related interruptions and a teaching workforce comprised of the highest percentage of substitute teachers in recent history.

It wasn't pretty. Here are the key takeaways:

• Of the more than 550 public school districts and public charter schools (LEAs) that DESE evaluated, at least 120 schools scored 60% or below. 
• More than 100 LEAs received zero points for attendance.
• 112 LEAs scored low enough for DESE to classify them as "provisionally accredited."

"MSIP 6 is designed to distinguish the performance of schools and LEAs in meaningful ways to help identify areas in need of support and recognize models of excellence," said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. "For the release of this pilot year data, we encourage stakeholders, including community partners and families, to focus less on the APR score and more on the underlying data to learn how they may better support student learning."

Aligned encourages our education community to look at these results within the context of the challenges many of our public schools face. Leaders struggle to staff schools with qualified teachers, state funding has remained relatively stagnant over the past decade, and the fits and starts resulting from a worldwide pandemic caused a massive disruption in learning. 

The good news is this new system provides a much more accurate reflection of student achievement and progress. Under the old system, most LEAs scored in the 90 percent range, making assessing how well our schools are doing more challenging. 

The benefit of a bell curve is that it provides a way to identify problem areas and target interventions. We can also see the districts performing at the top and potentially discover a "secret sauce" that others can replicate. 

Four LEAs scored above the 95% mark. Green Forest R-II, Thornfield R-I, Marceline R-V, and Mark Twain R-VIII are all small rural schools. Larger suburban districts like Ladue, Kirkwood , Nixa performed well too.

DESE won't change a school's distinction this year, but these results provide a great starting point to learn how to improve schools across the state.

Senator Mike Moon (R-Lawrence County). Photo credit: Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent.

Filibuster hastens Senate's "breaking" point

We have reached the end of the first half of the 2023 Legislative Session. The Legislative Spring Break begins today, and the legislature will not meet again until Monday, March 20th. This break comes at the right time as the Senate found itself locked down in a filibuster over a bill by Senator Mike Moon.

The bill, titled "Missouri Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act," seeks to ban transgender surgeries and hormone therapies for anybody under 18. Democrats in the Senate held the Senate Floor on Tuesday and Wednesday, blocking the bill's passage. Late Wednesday afternoon, the Senate Republicans broke session to caucus and discuss a path forward for the legislation. However, following caucus, the only thing members agreed upon was to adjourn session a day early and begin Spring Break.

Despite the optics, it probably was the right decision at the time. Over the last two weeks, we have seen a breakdown of the decorum that was a refreshing change from the previous two. Hopefully, this break will calm tempers and permit the Senate to keep functioning for the final eight weeks of session. 

House Activity this Week

The House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee conducted activity on several bills this week which include:

• Open Enrollment - Rep. Brad Pollitt's HB253, creating transfer procedures for enrollment in nonresident public schools, was third read in the House 85-69. Read more.

• Teacher Recruitment & Retention - The House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee passed HB497, sponsored by Rep. Ed Lewis (R-Moberly), which modifies the existing urban flight and rural needs scholarship program to gradually increase the number of scholarships provided by the program to 300 annually by the 2029-30 school year. During discussion a substitute was offered which adds differentiated pay scale legislation (HB190), legislation modifying provisions governing the teacher retirement system and working after retirement (HB 495), expands school resource officer definitions (HB70), requires the installation of bleeding control kits in high-traffic areas of schools (HB116), requires DESE to update standards for the required personal finance 1/2 credit course (HB809), and creates the "extended learning opportunities act" (HB483).

• SUCCESS Act & Childcare Tax Credits - Rep. Hannah Kelly presented HB1335, which proposes to create a tax credit equal to up to $1,800 for expenses related to childcare for two children to the House Children & Families Committee. Ultimately the legislation was added to Rep. Brenda Shields HB870 tax credit proposal, which passed committee this week. 

• Parents Bill of Rights - Rep. Phil Christofanelli presented HB627, creating the "Parents Bill of Rights" governing transparency and parental access to school curriculum and instruction, to the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee. 

• Cursive Writing Instruction - Rep. Gretchen Bangert presented HB232, requiring schools to teach cursive writing by fifth grade, to the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee.

Senate Activity this Week

• Educational Expense Tax Credit - Sen. Nick Schroer (R-St. Charles Co.) presented SB226, which creates a tax credit equal to 100% of expenses incurred for the payment of tuition and fees for each dependent child enrolled to attend a private or parochial school, or nonresident public or charter school, in the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee.
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• School Board Elections - Sen. Ben Brown (R-Franklin Co) presented SB234, which proposes to move elections to the office of school board to November general elections instead of being held during spring municipal elections, to the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee.

Budget Update

House Budget Chair Cody Smith reaffirmed this week that the Budget Committee would begin mark-up on their version of the State’s $50 billion budget the week they return from Spring Break. If they get through mark-up that week, then Perfect and Third Read the budget bills the following week – that will leave 5 weeks for the Senate to make their changes and the bills to go to conference and be truly agreed to by the constitutional deadline of May 5th. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee convened Tuesday morning to receive a presentation regarding HBs 17, 18, 19, and 20. These are the reappropriations bill, the maintenance and repair bill, the new capital improvement bill, and the ARPA funding bill. The committee asked no questions, and the presentation lasted less than 20 minutes. Later in the week, the committee convened to review the tax credits administered by various state departments.

The House Budget Committee convened Tuesday afternoon to finish hearing from the Appropriation Sub-Committee's chairman regarding changes made to the budgets of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Workforce and Higher Education, Department of Mental Health, Department of Health and Senior Services, and the Department of Social Services. 

Once departments completed those presentations, the full Budget Committee was able to ask additional questions of the various departments over the rest of the week. Committee members dedicated the entire day on Thursday to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as earlier in the week, the 2021-2022 annual performance results for the school districts throughout the state were released, and committee members had many questions regarding the process and the results.  

Tidbits

• Mississippi Legislature passes 12 month postpartum Medicaid coverage extension 
• A recent study shows opioids are leading cause of child poisoning deaths for children under 5
• 988 Suicide Help Line expands to 24/7 for LGBTQ+ callers
• Climate change has made the allergy season longer 
• The CDC says half of US children between ages 1-5 don't eat vegetables daily 
• Missouri Lawmakers chip away at Governor Mike Parson's I-70 spending proposal
• Where each state stands on making Daylight Savings Time permanent 
• The push continues for a four-lane highway from southern Illinois into St. Louis
• Missouri's marijuana program passed $100 million in sales in the first month of combined adult use and medical marijuana sales

Upcoming Hearings / Action

Both chambers are out until March 20th for Spring break - hallelujah! 

Read our full legislative report for the week of March 6th.

Status Report - Aligned Priorities

Aligned supports most legislation that fits within our six core principles. Below is a status update on our top priorities.

Child care tax credit bill passes House committee with 9-0 vote.

Early Childhood

HB 833 (Shields) - Changes provisions governing early childhood education programs. (2-23-23) Referred to House Committee on Children and Families. NO CHANGE

HB 933 (Pollitt) - Changes provisions governing early childhood education programs. (2-23-23) Referred to House Committee on Children and Families. NO CHANGE

HB 118 (Shields) - Modifies the calculation of average daily attendance for early childhood education programs. (3-9-23) Referred to House committee on Children and Families.

HB 870 (Shields) - Authorizes the "Child Care Contribution Tax Credit Act", the "Employer-Provided Child Care Assistance Tax Credit Act", and the "Child Care providers Tax Credit", related to tax credits for child care. (3-9-23) Reported do pass as substituted.

SB 184 (Arthur) - Authorizes a sales tax exemption for the purchase of diapers, as defined in the act. (3-2-23) Child care tax credit language from SB 509 offered as committee substitute in Senate - Governmental Accountability. NO CHANGE

SB 495 (Eslinger) - Same as HB 833 - Introduced and Read First Time (1-17-23) NO CHANGE

SB 509 (Arthur) - Same as HB 870 - Introduced and Read First Time (1-17-23) NO CHANGE

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

HB 190 (Lewis) - Allows school districts to create differentiated teacher salary schedules. Rolled into HB 497 on 3-9-23.

HB 497 (Lewis) - Modifies the Urban Flights and Rural Needs Scholarship Program. (2-22-23) Public Hearing Completed NO CHANGE

School Finance Reform

SB 17 (Arthur) - Modifies terms used in the elementary and secondary school funding formula. (2-28-23) Public Hearing Completed. NO CHANGE

School choice bill advances

As usual, the last three weeks of committee meetings are packed full of back-to-back hearings and final action on bills. Aside from those exempt from legislative deadlines (Budget, Tax, Federal, and State Affairs), committees have two more weeks to complete their work. March 24 is their last day to meet and pass any bills they want to move forward this session. After that, Legislators are mainly on the floor; conference committees begin their work on April 3. 

Lawmakers scheduled First Adjournment of the regular session for April 6 and Veto Session for April 26 through April 29. 

Overall, the 2023 Kansas Legislative Session has been relatively quiet and non-controversial so far. However, significant tax cuts and budget spending are still on the table, as these are typically the last pieces of business to close out the year. 

School Choice 

On Monday, a bill allowing students to use $5,100 of their state aid toward private school tuition jumped a significant hurdle in the legislative process when the House K-12 Education Budget Committee stripped the contents of an already passed Senate bill and inserted the school choice provision in its place. 

In addition to a four-year phase-in of these education savings accounts, House Substitute for Senate Bill 83 would create a task force for and appropriate $592.7 million to special education in Kansas. It would also increase salaries for all school district licensed teachers, estimated at roughly $2,020 per teacher. 

This “gut and go” procedural maneuver sends the bill to the House floor for approval and then bypasses committee debate in the Senate. 

Childcare Regulatory Reform 

This week, a large coalition of business and healthcare interests supported a comprehensive bill that would significantly change the regulatory requirements for childcare facilities and care workers in Kansas. Senate Bill 282 was heard in the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday in direct response to workforce shortages due to difficulty finding, affording, and retaining good childcare. 

The bill would establish new training and education requirements for childcare center staff of licensed facilities and general facility requirements for inspections. In addition, it would set capacity limits for daycare homes and facilities based on the ages of children and facility type. Finally, childcare businesses could apply for a waiver from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment requirements. 

Senator Chase Blasi (R-Wichita) and Senator Kristin O’Shea (R-Topeka) were instrumental in crafting the legislation. However, several opponent groups urged legislators to appoint a task force to work with the childcare community during the interim for further study and a comprehensive analysis of any potential reform. 

State Budget Review 

There was a lot of movement in the budget committees this week as both House and Senate appropriators began to stake out their negotiating positions on the first big-budget bill of the year. 

The House Appropriations Committee started the week by reversing the recommendations made by the House Social Services Budget Subcommittee for the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. The subcommittee recommended over $500 million in spending over the Governor’s recommendations for programs dealing with mental health, state hospitals, and reducing the waiting list for services provided to disabled communities. The full committee voted to delay these increases and reconsider them at the end of the year when tax revenues are received, and tax-cut bills start to move. 

The Senate Ways and Means Committee took an alternative route this week. Trying to get ahead of the House by establishing their bargaining positions sooner, they looked at other big-ticket items, including a contribution to the state’s Rainy-Day Fund. Senate Republican leadership is using this strategy for more negotiating power with the House. 

The House should likely finish its agency budgets next week, hoping to complete the first budget bill of the year by the end of March. 

Read the entire statehouse report.

See all education bills we are tracking.

Governor Laura Kelly expanded administration’s Workforce Development efforts in 2021. Shonda Atwater, standing behind Governor Kelly in white, was tapped to lead the new office. PHOTO CREDIT: Kansas Department of Commerce

Aligned board members and staff met in person this week in Kansas City for its quarterly board meeting. Featured guest speaker Shonda Atwater, the director of the Kansas Office of Apprenticeship, provided an update on the newly created office. In September of 2022, Governor  Laura Kelly signed Executive Order #22-07, establishing the Office of Registered Apprenticeships within the Kansas Department of Commerce to fast-track talent development to meet the state's rapidly growing economy.

Atwater explained that the registered apprenticeship model provides an "earn and learn" approach where the apprentice receives 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training, related technical instruction, mentorship, wage progression, and an industry-recognized credential.

"Apprenticeship is not a model to get a job; it's a job from day one," said Atwater. "Business and the economy can't wait any longer for students to get through college."

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training reports that the average starting salary after completing an apprenticeship program is $72K annually, and 92% of apprenticeships retain employment upon completion.

The five major industry sectors that make up the apprenticeship system are:

• Construction
• Energy
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Corporate and Professional Services
• Logistics and Distribution

The Office is also considering expanding into other high-wage, high-demand industries such as healthcare, agriculture, professional educators, aerospace and defense, and information technology.

Read Kansas Works 2022 Annual Review.

Missouri has a robust apprenticeship program recognized as a national leader. This week the U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh announced a $20 million cooperative agreement between the Department of Labor and the TradesFuture non-profit to "advance equitable opportunities in construction through the department's "Scaling Apprenticeship Readiness Across the Building Trades" initiative. Missouri is one of four states the project will explore to identify best practices.

The Show-Me State is ranked third in the U.S. for the most completed apprenticeships and 4th in the country for the highest number of new apprentices.

We checked the 10-day forecast for Kansas City and St. Louis and it's a whole lot of meh...dressing for 50-degree weather is a challenge for some of us.

As while many head south for sunshine, we will settle in to strategize for the second half of session and prepare for our upcoming Durable Skills summit in Kansas City (March 29) and St. Louis (March 30).

If you have experience in human resources and understand how to spot a potential great hire, we invite you to join us for a unique opportunity. Email us to see if you are a good fit for this summit.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Torree Pederson

President

Aligned

Torree@WeAreAligned.org

(913) 484-4202

Linda Rallo

Vice President

Aligned

Linda@WeAreAligned.org

(314) 330-8442

Download our 2024 Annual Report