Missouri

Missouri lawmakers advance ‘A’ through ‘F’ school grading bill

Published

4 months ago

March 9, 2026

Missouri lawmakers advance ‘A’ through ‘F’ school grading bill

Annelise Hanshaw
| Missouri Independent

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s request to grade public schools on an “A” through “F” scale is pushing House lawmakers to approve legislation some think isn’t quite ready.

With approval and dissent on both sides of the aisle, the House voted a bill to create a new school accountability system through to the Senate 96-53 Thursday despite concerns the letter grades could be a “scarlet letter” for underperforming schools.

“Will this labeling system actually improve schools or will it mostly brand communities, destabilize staffing and incentivize gaming rather than learning?” asked state Rep. Kem Smith, a Democrat from Florissant, during House debate Tuesday morning, March 3.

She said the key metrics that determine the grade, performance and growth, are volatile.

“The label itself can become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she said. “The bill doubles down on high stakes metrics that are known to be unstable.”

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Dane Diehl, a Republican from Butler, told lawmakers that a performance-based school report card with “A” through “F” grades is inevitable. The details, though, are negotiable.

“The governor’s executive order, it is going to happen either way,” he said. “I think we tried to make that process a little better for school districts.”

Kehoe’s order directs the state’s education department to draw up a plan for the report cards and present it to the State Board of Education. The board could reject the idea, but with a board with primarily new members appointed by Kehoe, lawmakers have accepted the system as fate.

State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Republican from Moberly and chair of the House’s education committee, told the committee in January that he prioritized the bill as a way to give lawmakers influence over the final outcome. He is happy with the edits the committee made, which gives the education department more leeway to determine grade thresholds and removes a provision that would raise expectations once 65% of schools achieve “A” or “B” grades.

The House also approved an amendment March 3 that would grade schools’ environment. This would be based on the rates of student suspension, seclusion and restraint incident rates and satisfaction surveys given to students, parents and teachers.

The Senate’s version, which passed out of its education committee last week, does not include those changes.

“I think (the House bill) is the best product we have in the Capitol right now,” Lewis said. “I am not saying it’s complete, but it is the best we have right now.”

The changes have softened some skeptics of the legislation, like state Rep. Brad Pollitt.

Pollitt, a Sedalia Republican, said he didn’t support the legislation “for a number of years.” But with the edits, he sees potential for the legislation to usher in changes to the way the state accredits public schools.

The current process, he said, “nobody seems to like,” pointing to widespread concerns with the state’s standardized test.

Some of these changes are already happening quietly. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received a grant from the federal government to develop a state assessment based on through-year testing, which would measure student growth throughout the school year, instead of a single summative assessment.

The department is poised to pilot the new test in 14 classrooms this spring, hoping to eventually offer it statewide within a few years. But the estimated startup cost of $2 million is one of many department requests cut from the governor’s proposed budget as the state grapples with declining revenue.

Creating the “A” through “F” report cards is estimated to cost a similar amount, if not more, according to the state’s fiscal note. The expense is largely frontloaded, going to the programming and technology support required to create the grade cards’ interface.

When The Independent asked Kehoe’s office about the fiscal note, the governor’s communications director Gabby Picard said he would work with “associated agencies” to determine appropriate funding “while remaining mindful of the current budget constraints and maintaining fiscal responsibility.”

The House’s version of the legislation includes an incentive program for high-performing schools, giving bonuses to go toward teacher recruitment and retention, if the legislature appropriates funding for the program.

The bill originally proposed incentives of $50-100 per student to subsidize teacher pay. This had large fiscal implications, and Lewis surmised that it would violate a section of the State Constitution prohibiting bonuses for public employees.

Making the funding optional and directing it to the school’s teacher recruitment and retention fund remedied those concerns. The Senate Education Committee removed the incentive program in its version of the legislation.

The House’s approval Thursday does not stop discussion and possible amendments. Next, the bill will go to the Senate for consideration, and if any changes are made, it will return to the House for more discussion.

This story was first published at missouriindependent.com.

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Missouri

Kehoe signs eight bills into Missouri law, including downtown development legislation

Published

10 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Kehoe signs eight bills into Missouri law, including downtown development legislation

St. Louis could see major downtown renovation in the coming years helped by legislation signed into Missouri law by Gov. Mike Kehoe on Monday.

Kehoe signed a large economic development bill that includes incentivizing the conversion of vacant or underused properties into new housing.

For St. Louis, that could mean changes to the AT&T tower and Railway Exchange building.

Through the legislation, cities could apply for an area to become a Missouri innovation zone and be able to use incentives distributed by the state Department of Economic Development.

Cities must include proposed district boundaries, identify vacant and underutilized properties as well as provide projections of anticipated housing and employment growth in their application. Cities may only establish one of those districts.

Additionally, the legislation allows for up to $50 million annually in tax credits toward the conversion of buildings into residential spaces.

Sen. Steve Roberts, D-St. Louis, said the legislation will ultimately lead to more people living in downtown St. Louis.

“The passage of House Bill 3231 was critical in our efforts to continue revitalizing Missouri’s main streets, central business districts, and downtowns,” Kehoe said in a statement.

The governor signed seven other bills into law Monday, including a wide-reaching health care bill that contains several policies related to reproductive health.

The nearly 200-page bill allows for Missourians on private insurance to obtain 12 months’ worth of birth control pills at once.

It also expands Medicaid coverage to doula services. It would apply to more care before, during and after a pregnancy. The state health department must also create and operate a registry of available doula services.

Additionally, the bill requires insurance companies to cover blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum mothers.

The bill also requires Missouri to track and report cases of Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal is a tick-borne disease that creates an allergy to mammalian products like meat.

Any identifiable information on the blood test could only be shared between patient and physician.

The legislation also:

Allows patients to begin their care through telemedicine, as opposed to a physical examination whenever possible.
Permits the sale of ivermectin, a drug that’s grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, over the counter. It also expands the types of vaccines pharmacists can administer.
Prevents insurance companies from capping payment for anesthesia by imposing time limits.
Permits schools and daycares to provide epinephrine either via injection or orally to treat allergic reactions.

Additionally, Kehoe signed a bill that provides rights to “a child born alive during or after an abortion or attempted abortion.”

The legislation is called the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Anyone who would kill or attempt to kill a fetus born alive after an abortion attempt could be prosecuted for first-degree murder under the bill.

Those against the bill say the focus on abortion causes consequences regarding maternal care in Missouri.

Fetal viability, or the point when a fetus would be able to survive outside the womb, is generally around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

According to KFF health research, abortions at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy are uncommon, representing 1% of all abortions in the country.

Kehoe said in a statement that he was proud to sign bills that will improve health care services across the state.

“I would like to thank the members of the House and Senate for their work to protect our most vulnerable, hold insurance companies accountable, and change the landscape of healthcare access and outcomes in communities across the state,” Kehoe said.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for July 12, 2026

Published

22 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 12, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 12 drawing

Midday: 7-1-3

Midday Wild: 0

Evening: 9-6-1

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 12 drawing

Midday: 0-9-0-9

Midday Wild: 8

Evening: 2-9-7-1

Evening Wild: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 12 drawing

Early Bird: 05

Morning: 04

Matinee: 05

Prime Time: 04

Night Owl: 09

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from July 12 drawing

05-16-21-27-39

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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