How is Missouri’s education system governed?

Missouri's education system is governed through a combination of a state board of education and local school boards. This structure allows for a degree of centralized oversight at the state level while also enabling local boards to make decisions that cater to the specific needs and circumstances of their communities.

The state board of education is responsible for setting statewide educational policies, establishing curriculum standards, and overseeing the accreditation of schools, among other duties. This helps ensure a consistent educational framework across the state. Local school boards, on the other hand, have the authority to make decisions regarding the management of individual school districts, including hiring staff, determining school budgets, and implementing state policies at the district level.

This dual governance structure effectively balances state-level oversight with local control, allowing for both uniform educational standards and community-specific adaptations. In contrast, governance solely by the state legislature would lack the localized autonomy important for addressing the diverse educational needs within various regions of Missouri, while reliance only on federal regulations would not consider the state's unique education priorities. Additionally, governance by private educational institutions would be outside the public system entirely, which does not reflect the public education model that Missouri operates under.