Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has set the stage to potentially reform the state's approach to K-12 school funding, appointing an eclectic group to the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force, as reported yesterday. With individuals hailing from different sectors such as academia, agriculture, business, and education, the 16-member committee is tasked to thoroughly review and then suggest improvements to the current funding model by December 1, 2026. In a statement obtained by the Governor's Office , Kehoe expressed his goal "to secure a better future for Missouri students and schools" by establishing "a modernized funding model that rewards outcomes, encourages innovation, and ensures fairness for all Missouri students."

The task force includes a blend of experience and perspective that is explicitly designed to carefully develop a funding strategy tailored to meet unpredictable future needs. Inherent to their mission is the principle to, sometimes clunkily, to ensure local control and performance accountability while aiming for a sustainable financial path forward. Matt Davis of Eldon, a veteran educational supervisor, and Noah Devine of Kansas City, a charter school advocate, are among those who will provide a voice for both rural and urban educational needs at the task force meetings.

Senator Rusty Black, with deep roots in education, has been tapped to chair the task force. Emphasizing his personal connection to teaching and educational policy, Senator Black told the Governor's Office , "I’m honored to help lead this important work as we build a funding model that supports student success in every corner of Missouri." His perspective, along with the rich diversity of expertise across the task force, aims to bring a comprehensive approach to school financing reforms.

This initiative comes at a time when the pot of education funding and how it's allocated is becoming less predictable. Recognizing the need to not just randomly spread resources but to deliberately invest them where they'll return the greatest educational dividend, the task force intends to to largely focus on outcomes that benefit all Missouri students. From agricultural representatives like Casey Wasser to the education sector's Chris Vas, the team is evidently set out to reconstruct Missouri's financial educational infrastructure from the ground up.

With a deadline approaching at the end of 2026, the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force faces a significant challenge: to develop a funding model that is fair, sustainable, and adaptable to the evolving landscape of Missouri's educational demands. The outcome may very well shape the trajectory of Missouri's educational system for decades to come.