Missouri Education Commissioner Karla Eslinger will step down at the end of the month — two years after taking her position at the top of the state’s education department.
She announced her retirement Tuesday afternoon in a closed session of the State Board of Education and in a note to department staff, saying she “decided to pursue opportunities that will allow (her) to spend more time with (her) family while also exploring new professional endeavors.”
Since taking over in 2024, Eslinger has spearheaded the creation of a task force to assist struggling schools, pushed for a website modernization to provide Missourians with more access to school data and continued efforts to train teachers on evidence-based literacy instruction.
Her first day as commissioner, Eslinger stepped into a months-long crisis as the state’s childcare subsidy program racked up an extensive backlog of payments during issues with a new software provider.
When the department resolved the problem, Eslinger told lawmakers that she hoped the program could move to a system of paying childcare providers at the beginning of the month based on their enrollment. Now, over a year later, that switch has faced countless delays, as lawmakers pass a budget that would bar the department from making prospective payments.
This challenge was the first of many that Eslinger has approached with what she called a “the-buck-stops-here” attitude, answering for systemic and preexisting problems while tools to address them were stripped out.
In December, she was caught between state lawmakers asking for more consequences for underperforming schools and school administrators that were expecting a yearlong delay before their districts could be deemed unaccredited under a new scoring system.
Eslinger told a Senate committee at the time that she didn’t want to “change the rules midstream.” The State Board of Education ultimately addressed lawmakers’ chief concerns in January, lowering St. Louis Public Schools’ accreditation status despite Eslinger’s concerns that the move could cut back on cooperation between the department and the school district.
Last year, Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed four new members to the seven-member State Board of Education. Since then, the board has grappled with its role, as new members looked for more input on the department’s budget request and what legislation it would support.
Pamela Westbrooks Hodge, a board member from Pasadena Hills who has served since 2020, told The Independent the newer members struggled to see Eslinger as a new member of the education department seeking solutions rather than part of “long-term challenges.”
“Some of the new folks not understanding what she was contending with… They may not have been attuned to how emotionally challenging that is,” she said.
As tones grew more contentious in board meetings, Westbrooks Hodge said that Eslinger answered questions and calmed tensions.
“Her managing-up skills were extraordinary,” she said. “She handled it gracefully, but, you know, after a while it wears on you.”
Her first performance review was due from the board later this week. She requested annual reviews during a board retreat last July as she unveiled her priorities as commissioner, seemingly with many years in mind.
Eslinger’s career in education includes roles as a teacher, school administrator and education policy advisor. She was working as a state senator when former Gov. Mike Parson appointed her as commissioner.
State Board of Education President Mary Schrag, of West Plains, said in a statement that Eslinger “has always been a tremendous leader and an advocate for public education” throughout roles in education and the state legislature.
“This is a significant loss to the department and for Missouri education,” she said. “I believe she will continue to be a great advocate for public education.”
Kehoe said in a statement to The Independent that he appreciates Eslinger’s “decades of service” to the state.
“From her career in public education to serving in the Missouri Senate and as Missouri Commissioner of Education, (she) has remained a strong advocate for educators and students across the state,” he wrote, wishing her and her family well.
Previous education commissioner Margie Vandeven held the position from January 2015 to December 2017, when then-Gov. Eric Greitens stacked the board of education to force her out, before returning in 2018 to serve until July 2024.
Vandeven announced her retirement months in advance and served alongside Eslinger for one month before fully stepping away.
The department said in a press release that “additional information regarding transition plans” will be shared in coming weeks. In her letter to staff, Eslinger said she is “committed to supporting a smooth and successful transition in the weeks ahead.”
“Serving as Missouri’s commissioner of education has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” she said in a statement. “Over the past two years, I am incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made — enhancing how we use data to guide decisions, strengthening communication with partners, and laying the groundwork for a strategic plan — that will continue to benefit students and educators long after my tenure. Missouri’s educators are deeply committed to their students, and it has been a privilege to support their work.”
