Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe Faces Tension Over State Education Board’s St. Louis School Controversy

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe recently attended the State Board of Education’s December meeting prior to his official swearing-in.

During the meeting, controversy arose regarding State Board of Education member Kerry Casey, who is facing calls for resignation from the American Federation of Teachers St. Louis (AFT) after suggesting that St. Louis Public Schools SLPS be stripped of its full accreditation status.

Casey, appointed by former Governor Mike Parson in 2021 and a founding board member of KIPP charter schools in St. Louis, has been accused of bias in favor of charter schools over public schools.

AFT St. Louis questioned her impartiality, pointing to her past affiliations and actions. Casey’s motion to downgrade SLPS’s accreditation status, based on perceived dysfunction in the district, did not gain traction among other board members.

The district has been fully accredited since 2017, after years of efforts to improve its performance.

While Casey’s position on SLPS has drawn criticism, she has found support from some political figures, including Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, who defended Casey’s stance and criticized the teachers’ union for focusing on union issues rather than student outcomes.

Despite Casey’s motion, SLPS remains fully accredited, with improvement in academic performance reported this year.

 

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