A new era has begun at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Karla Eslinger is the state’s new education commissioner.
Last December, Eslinger was named Missouri’s seventh-best educator by the Missouri Board of Education.
She took office on July 1 and is Missouri’s seventh education commissioner. Eslinger succeeds Margie Vandeven, who held the post for about eight years.
Eslinger began her career as an elementary school teacher before working as a principal and property manager in Ava and West Plains.
After retiring as superintendent, Eslinger served as deputy commissioner in the Office of Educator Quality at DESE.
She then worked for AEM Corporation, where she served as a senior educational services analyst and provided technical support to the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC.
From 2019 to 2020, Eslinger represented the 155th district in the Missouri House of Representatives. Most recently, she represented the 33rd district in the Missouri Senate from 2021 to 2024.
Eslinger said she is often referred to as “the school lady.”
“I have always been someone who has been connected to, supported and really committed to the great work we do in education in this state,” she told Missourinet.
Eslinger has had many titles over the years. Her favorite is “Nanny,” she said. She has four grandchildren who have given her that popular nickname.
You could say that education is a regular topic of conversation at their dinner table in Wasola, southern Missouri.
“My whole family are educators,” she said.
Her eldest daughter is a high school trade teacher. Her youngest daughter is an elementary school principal. One of her sons-in-law is a school principal. Her husband is a retired industrial design teacher.
As commissioner, Eslinger leads a team of about 1,700 state employees. She oversees instruction in Missouri’s roughly 550 public schools from preschool through 12th grade, as well as the state’s 34 schools for the severely handicapped, one school for the deaf and one school for the blind.
What is she most looking forward to as a detective? Building a team.
“I think that’s probably something I always look forward to when I start a new adventure, which is bringing people together to do good work, because it feels really good. The thing is, I feel like I’m responsible for, potentially for, making sure that all of this is successful. But their success is mine, and so it’s the other way around too. If the people from that department feel good about coming to work every day and feel like they’re contributing and valued, and if they’re successful in their job, then success breeds success,” Eslinger said.
Eslinger said her vision is simple: She wants great schools for all students.
“I know this is huge, and I know it covers everything that makes up a good education. But honestly, that’s exactly what I want. I want every child who goes to school in Missouri to have a wonderful experience,” Eslinger said. “I want them to be surrounded by great teachers. I want a super principal in this building. I want this district to be connected to this community, and I want everything to run well. You can call it whatever you want… I don’t care, charter, public, whatever. I want good schools.”
According to Eslinger, she will continue ongoing initiatives to improve the reading skills of the youngest students.
“I think I can bring the urgency and absolute need for this to be a quality experience for all of our children in this age group. We know what it costs to tutor. We know what it costs when we fail. We know the impact of having them ready and willing to learn and at the level of their grade level in the early years of elementary school. That’s the goal because then you can’t stop a child once they start to develop a love of learning. They are in charge of their learning. And if they really and truly have that drive and motivation and it’s of interest to them, the sky’s the limit,” Eslinger said.
She said she didn’t want to let go of the reading pedal.
“I know the former commissioner was really focused on that,” Eslinger said. “I just want to make sure that every child, when they get to third grade, can read to learn. That to me is foundational, that part of literacy. We do a lot and have invested a lot of resources to really prepare our teachers to teach reading.”
Other initiatives entrusted to her include improving access to preschool, safe and healthy schools, and promoting teacher recruitment and retention.
Her position is regularly subject to political criticism and pressure – something Eslinger is used to as a former state representative and deputy commissioner at DESE.
“I think I keep asking myself what is important to us. We value safe schools. We value good teachers. We value really good, solid curriculum and the ability to assess whether or not our kids are learning something. And if you focus on the things that really make a difference and really rely on data to make your decisions, I think you’ll do just fine,” Eslinger said.
One of the most politically explosive issues revolves around the expansion of initiatives for free school choice.
“Parents should have the opportunity to say, ‘This is what I think is best for my child.’ I think we’ve decided at this stage that one is better, one is best, or one is not so good. I think we need to stop doing that and start creating these opportunities for all of us to be in the same place and not compete. We want good schools, great schools for all children,” she said. “I support the parents’ decision, but if this program is going to be funded with taxpayer dollars, we need to make sure that we’re doing a good job with that investment and that there are metrics that show whether we’re doing the job so that a lot of time, effort and resources aren’t wasted.”
As Eslinger settles into her new job, she praises the work of her coworkers who are committed to supporting Missouri schools.
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