Republished from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
The Missouri Board of Education has named a Columbia consultant interim state education commissioner.
07/08/26
Missouri education board names interim commissioner from Columbia
Stacey Preis replaces Karla Eslinger, the former Republican state senator from Wasola who retired as commissioner June 1, after leading the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for two years.
The state board will assemble a committee to conduct a national search for a permanent commissioner, according to a news release issued after the board’s meeting Monday.
Preis was executive director of the Missouri legislature’s Joint Committee on Education from 2008 to 2014, and served as a deputy commissioner in the education department for the next five years.
She then was policy director at St. Louis University’s Prime Center for education research before launching Columbia-based Pries Consulting in 2019.
Preis has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
“Preis is widely respected across Missouri for decades of service, thoughtful leadership, and a proven ability to unite communities around student success. We appreciate Dr. Preis’s readiness to lead at a pivotal time and look forward to partnering to deliver stronger outcomes for Missouri’s students, educators, and families,” said Brooks Miller, the state board’s vice president, in a statement.
As commissioner, Pries’ priorities will include implementing the state’s A-F grading system for Missouri schools as requested by Gov. Mike Kehoe, according to the release.
The education commissioner earns more than $190,000 a year and oversees an agency of about 1,650 employees who monitor the state’s 518 school districts.
The leadership change comes after state legislators declined to fully fund the 2027 budget request from the education board, creating a $190 million shortfall.
Also Monday, two new education board members were sworn in after being appointed by Kehoe: Jordan Bradberry, a real estate developer in Kansas City, and Robbie Myers, emergency management director for Butler County.