Longtime educator takes over as MO Education Commissioner

Dr. Karla Eslinger brings a lot of experience in education to her new job.

Prior to entering politics, Eslinger was an elementary school teacher, a principal, and then a district superintendent in Ava and West Plains. Both of those districts are located in south central Missouri.

She has also represented Missourians in both the State House of Representatives and was a State Senator when she was chosen for this new role by the Missouri State Board of Education.

I spoke to her this week as she's settling into her new role, and asked her about the role of the teacher in schools today.

"We absolutely have to put as many supports and services around our educators," Eslinger told me. "The teacher that we place in front of those kids is the one most significant factor that truly impacts the amount of learning that occurs in that environment."

Eslinger told me that she thinks teachers today are being asked to do more than they ever have.

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She said she was glad to see Missouri legislation signed into law this year that raised teacher pay across the state.

"The idea around minimum teacher pay, I think was critical, it's foundational," Eslinger said. "We couldn't be the last state in the nation, as far as the lowest rate for 1st-year teachers, so we've made some headway there. I think that's good."

Part of that same legislation had to do with some school districts being required to hold a public vote before transitioning to a four-day week. That's a move that several districts in the Kansas City area have already made.

"(Time) doesn't matter to me," Eslinger said. "Calendar days, amount of time that we have in the day, the amount of weeks, number of days in a week—if we're getting the job done, and we're actually measuring performance."

But I also spoke with Eslinger about the role of parents in education today. As a father of three, (my children are in Kansas schools, not Missouri), I wanted to hear her thoughts on how parents should navigate that landscape right now.

"A school board really and truly has to be one of the most important roles in your community," Eslinger said. "They are the ones who establish curriculum. They are the ones who decide content, and they are the ones that have guide around instructional practice more so than a state agency. You need to make sure that you have representation on that board."

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