August 5. 2025

Governor Mike Kehoe
P.O. Box 720
Jefferson City, MO. 65102

Dear Governor Kehoe,

I am contacting you to consider appointing a teacher to the Missouri State Board of Education. The General Assembly passed a bill in 2018 that requires the Governor to a appoint a teacher representative to the State Board of Education. The position has remained vacant since it was created.

The Board duties include defining academic performance standards and assessment requirements for public schools as well as accrediting local school districts. The board has no authority to regulate or accredit private, parochial or home schools in the state.

The law also states that “No member of the board shall be connected, either as an official or as an employee, with any public, private, or denominational school, college or university.” However, Kerry Casey was appointed in 2021 by former Governor Mike Parson. She was a founding board member of KIPP charter schools in St. Louis and remained on the board for 13 years. She resigned from the KIPP board after being appointed to the Missouri State Board of Education, to meet the state requirements.

It is in the best public interest to balance the board with an educator who has served in Missouri’s public schools to advise the board on “real life” public school issues. It is also good governance to fill this required board position, not only to represent a teacher’s perspective, but to fill the state requirement.

I respectfully urge you to fill the educator position on the Missouri State Board of Education.

Sincerely,

Kay Park, President
League of Women Voters of Missouri
kayparklwvmo [at] gmail.org