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MSBA preview: open enrollment, charter expansion and taxes top the 2026 legislative agenda, officials say
Summary
Missouri School Boards Association leaders told the Ste. Genevieve Co. R-II board that open enrollment, charter expansion and debate over property and income taxes — including scrutiny of Senate Bill 3 — will shape the 2026 legislative session; MSBA also announced a series of advocacy events and an April school-safety conference.
The Missouri School Boards Association’s monthly report highlighted education priorities that MSBA leaders expect to drive the 2026 legislative session, including open-enrollment proposals, efforts to expand charter schools and debates over property and income taxes.
An MSBA presenter summarized a recorded podcast episode featuring MSBA executive and advocacy staff who said open enrollment and charter expansion could resurface this year. "Open enrollment is going to be a huge topic this year," one MSBA speaker said, and noted advocates are watching charter-expansion proposals that would alter current statutory limits.
Tax policy is likely to be a central focus, MSBA staff added. "Property tax is incredibly important to schools," one speaker said, urging attention to an ongoing lawsuit and saying MSBA will be closely involved in advocacy around why that funding is critical for public schools. The speaker specifically referenced concern about Senate Bill 3 and its potential effects on local school funding.
MSBA also outlined its schedule of member events: a Legislative Lunch & Learn series beginning Jan. 17, monthly sessions through May and an Advocacy Day on March 10 with activities beginning at 9:30 a.m. at The Mill Bottom in Jefferson City and a student showcase in the Capitol Rotunda.
Separately, MSBA promoted a statewide Missouri School Safety Conference in April in St. Louis, hosted by the MSBA Center for Education Safety in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the FBI St. Louis Division. The conference is aimed at principals, superintendents, school-safety coordinators, mental-health professionals, SROs and first responders and will cover crisis mental health, threat assessment and emergency response.
Why it matters: MSBA officials told the board that a mix of statutory and budget issues — not least the potential for changes tied to Senate Bill 3 and competing tax proposals — could materially affect how districts are funded and operate in 2026. MSBA encouraged districts to engage in the announced advocacy series to monitor and influence those developments.
