JEFFERSON CITY — Margie Vandeven, the education commissioner of Missouri, announced Tuesday that she will resign in July after serving two separate terms for a total of seven years.
The surprise announcement came at the start of a packed agenda for the Missouri State Board of Education’s monthly meeting.
“Serving as commissioner of education for the great state of Missouri has been the honor and the opportunity of a lifetime,†Vandeven said at the meeting. “Together we have made a meaningful difference in the lives of our children.â€
Vandeven started her career in education as a teacher in O’Fallon, Missouri, in 1990. She taught in Maryland from 1995 to 2002 before returning to Missouri as an English teacher and administrator.
Vandeven was first named state commissioner in January 2015 and was ousted from the role in 2017 in a push by then Gov. Eric Greitens to appoint his own commissioner. Vandeven was rehired in 2019 by a board of education that included members appointed by Gov. Mike Parson, Greitens’ replacement.
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The commissioner earns more than $190,000 and oversees an agency with about 1,650 employees, who monitor the state’s 518 school districts. The state board members will now start the process of finding a successor to replace Vandeven.
Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican who called for Vandeven’s firing in 2021, said Tuesday that Missouri needed “a new direction†for education.
“I think we’ve been lacking leadership in our education department for years,†she said. “Schools are struggling. Their outcomes are failing. And it’s been obvious to me that we need to take a new direction.â€
O’Laughlin also signaled a focus on school choice in the next legislative session.
“I think we need a system that rewards good schools and allows parents the choice to send their students where they can find the best outcomes,†O’Laughlin said. “I look forward to working with other legislators and the governor and moving on in a new direction.â€
Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, a former educator who chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, said he spoke with Vandeven at an event Monday night, and she didn’t mention her departure.
“I’m surprised,†Pollitt said following the announcement. “Margie served the state well. I think she worked hard at her job.â€
Pollitt said he hopes the commission will find a replacement that has a strong vision of the future and is willing to look at changes.
“The state of Missouri has a lot of good schools. Sometimes it doesn’t come across that way. There’s just small tweaks we probably need to make to be current,†Pollitt said.
Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, said the state “owes a debt of gratitude†to Vandeven.
“Throughout her career, Dr. Vandeven has put the betterment of Missouri students above all else, and we have been incredibly fortunate to have a leader of her caliber at DESE. It’s an incredibly difficult role, and her intellect, insights, and integrity will be missed,†said Arthur, a member of the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee.
In other matters, the state board approved a return to elected leadership in the Normandy and Riverview Gardens school districts, which have been under state control for at least a decade. Enrollment and academic performance have declined in both districts under state-appointed boards.
In April, voters will elect three board members in Normandy and two board members in Riverview Gardens to bring both boards to seven elected members.
State board members also approved a five-year charter school application for Believe STL Academy. The high school is expected to open in the fall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ with 100 ninth graders, and add a grade each year. The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Public Schools board of education approved a resolution Monday in opposition to the new charter school.
Finally, the board discussed long-awaited guidelines on social-emotional learning in three categories: “me,†including personal healthy behaviors and self-esteem; “we,†teamwork, collaboration and cooperation; and “others,†empathy, compassion and fairness.
Vandeven said the guidelines are to be viewed as a resource for educators, not as standards or a mandate.
The department received close to 2,000 comments this fall about the proposed guidelines. About one-third of the responses were negative, including many complaints stating that social-emotional learning is the role of parents, not schools.
Kurt Erickson and Jack Suntrup of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.