Dear Friends,
Federal Appeals Court Rules for 2025 Congressional Map
In the never-ending saga of Missouri’s congressional redistricting dispute, the matter is
headed back to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court ruled that the state
should use the congressional districts approved by lawmakers in 2025 for this November’s
election.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled September 21st that Missouri should use the
same congressional districts in the general election that were used during the August
primary. The court concluded that changing district boundaries between the primary and
general election would create constitutional equal protection concerns for voters.
The decision conflicts with an earlier Missouri Supreme Court ruling that found a voter
referendum challenging the 2025 map suspended the new districts, requiring the state to
conduct the November election using the congressional map adopted in 2022.
The federal appeals court delayed its order until Sept. 28 to allow opponents of the 2025
map time to seek relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. That means Missouri election
officials are continuing to use the 2022 congressional districts for now. Military and
overseas ballots have already been sent, and absentee voting began Sept. 22.
People Not Politicians, the group behind the referendum challenging the 2025
congressional map, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the federal appeals court
ruling and keep the 2022 districts in place for the November election.
The legal fight has created significant challenges for local election officials, but for now,
the 2022 congressional map remains in use while the U.S. Supreme Court considers the
latest request.
State Board Approves A–F School Grading Framework, Delays Public Release
The Missouri State Board of Education has approved a framework for assigning A–F grades
to public schools and districts, but the grades will not be released publicly until at least
mid-November as education officials continue working with school administrators on the
new system. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will now develop
technical documentation and run a simulation of the grading system. Schools and districts
will be able to review the results and provide additional feedback before grades are
released to the public. The State Board could make additional changes if problems are
identified during that process. The new timeline follows concerns raised by school
administrators about the methodology used to calculate grades and whether districts
would have sufficient opportunity to review their results before they became public. DESE
has also delayed implementation of a proposed literacy measure while concerns with that
component are addressed.
The A–F grading system was directed by an executive order issued by Gov. Mike Kehoe in
January. Schools and districts will receive an overall grade based on a 100-point scale
using measures including academic achievement and student growth. High school grades
will also incorporate graduation rates and measures of college and career readiness.
The new grade cards will supplement Missouri’s existing school accountability system
rather than replace it.
State Education Board Keeps School Funding Request Flat
The Missouri State Board of Education decided not to ask lawmakers for the roughly $300
million increase estimated to fully fund the state’s public school foundation formula next
year, instead choosing to keep its funding request at the current level. The decision came
as the board considered the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s budget
request for Fiscal Year 2028.
The board ultimately directed DESE to keep its foundation formula request flat. The
General Assembly will make the final decision on education funding when lawmakers
develop the state budget during the 2027 legislative session.
Missouri Establishes New Safeguards for License Plate Reader Data
Missouri has established new restrictions on how law enforcement agencies can use and
retain information collected by automated license plate readers, while state leaders are
calling for the General Assembly to make those protections permanent in state law.
Governor Mike Kehoe signed Executive Order 26-18 on Sept. 16, establishing minimum
standards for state agencies and state-funded local law enforcement agencies that use
automated license plate reader technology. The systems automatically photograph
license plates and collect vehicle information as motorists travel on public roads.
Under the order, most license plate and vehicle images must be permanently deleted
within 30 days. Information may be kept longer when it is directly connected to an active
criminal investigation, a life-safety emergency such as a missing-person case, or when
required by a court order. Automated license plate readers help locate stolen vehicles,
finding missing or endangered people and developing leads in criminal investigations.