House Concurrent Resolution 40 is a nonbinding legislative resolution focused on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It states that DESE’s role should be narrowed and more clearly defined, and it asks the Governor to clarify the department’s duties. The resolution frames DESE as having grown too broad, too bureaucratic, and too compliance-driven, and argues that the agency should return to a more limited constitutional role centered on administering public education.
The resolution specifically urges that DESE and the State Board of Education be limited to acting only as authorized by the Missouri Constitution, producing a public education scorecard with transparent data, maintaining a lean accreditation system focused on outcomes and academic growth, efficiently distributing state education dollars under legislative formulas, conducting annual performance audits to prevent fraud and waste, and providing support when schools and parents request it. Because it is a concurrent resolution, it does not itself amend statutes or create enforceable law; instead, it expresses the General Assembly’s position and requests executive action.
The bill’s impact on state law is indirect rather than immediate. If adopted, it would not by itself change the legal powers of DESE, but it would signal legislative intent to restrict and refocus the department’s responsibilities and could influence future administrative or statutory changes. It also emphasizes oversight of state education spending, accreditation, reporting, and program administration, which could affect DESE, the State Board of Education, local educational agencies, school districts, and parents if followed by policy changes.
The general sentiment reflected in the resolution is critical of DESE and supportive of reducing its scope. The bill’s language suggests concern that the department has become overly bureaucratic, politically driven, and detached from measurable student outcomes. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so the available context does not show formal debate or bipartisan support/opposition, only the resolution’s strongly stated viewpoint.
The main point of contention is the resolution’s assertion that DESE has advanced social or political agendas and imposed excessive paperwork, which implies a broader critique of the department’s current role and priorities. Supporters would likely favor tighter accountability, simpler reporting, and more direct focus on academic results, while opponents may view the resolution as an attempt to constrain the department’s authority, politicize education governance, or undermine programs serving diverse learners, students with disabilities, and early childhood education.
HCR40 would not directly change Missouri statutes, but it would formally urge the Governor and education officials to narrow DESE’s duties and focus the agency on constitutional, administrative, and accountability functions. Its practical effect would be to pressure future executive or legislative action on accreditation, reporting, audits, funding distribution, and the scope of state education oversight.
The resolution is broadly critical of DESE and reflects a reform-oriented, skeptical sentiment toward the department’s current size and mission. It favors a leaner, more transparent agency focused on student outcomes, and the available record shows no opposing testimony or vote history to indicate a competing viewpoint in the materials provided.
The central contention is over the proper scope of DESE’s authority. The resolution argues the department has become too bureaucratic, too compliance-heavy, and too involved in nonacademic or political matters, while likely critics would see those same functions as necessary for oversight, equity, and support for students with disabilities, early childhood programs, and local districts. The call for annual audits and tighter control over education funding also suggests concern about waste and accountability that may be disputed by those who believe the department already has appropriate oversight responsibilities.