Missouri lawmaker wants to abolish state's K-12 education department

A Missouri lawmaker wants to abolish the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and give the governor the authority to redistribute its powers, duties, personnel and property.

The proposed legislation was filed by state Sen. Bill Eigel, a Republican from St. Charles County who is also seeking the GOP nomination in the 2024 Missouri governor's race.

"My campaign is about busting up the bureaucracies of Jefferson City. I'm not sure there is a bigger bureaucracy in Jefferson City than the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education," Eigel said.

Eigel said the "original mission" of DESE was to transfer money from Jefferson City to local school districts. He said it now has 2,000 employees and has lost its way.