MO Board of Education Announces Next Commissioner

Posted December 5, 2023

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has announced R. Sen. Karla Eslinger will assume the role of the department’s next commissioner, effective June 1, 2024.

Eslinger will enter her new role after concluding her work in the Missouri Senate during the 2024 legislative session, according to a release.

“I am honored that the State Board has entrusted me with this incredible responsibility,” Eslinger said. “My passion for education is a result of my own childhood. My family faced poverty and moved a lot — and the one constant in my life was school. I’m certain my future would look very different if not for my public school education. Children across Missouri depend on our schools in this same way, and I look forward to ensuring every child in our state receives the quality educational opportunities they deserve.”

Eslinger has a background in education as a classroom teacher, principal, district-level administrator and superintendent in southwest Missouri. Additionally, she served as Assistant Commissioner in DESE’s Office of Educator Quality and was elected to the Missouri House in 2018 followed by the state Senate in 2020.

Her responsibilities will focus on key strategic priorities, including early childhood education, literacy, safe and healthy schools, workforce development, and teacher recruitment and retention.

Eslinger succeeds the current commissioner Margie Vandeven.