Published on: July 9, 2025

Stay informed on what’s happening in Missouri’s Charter Schools with the Missouri Charter School Association’s Quarterly Newsletter!

The purpose of the
Missouri Charter Public School Association (MCPSA)

is to ensure all families in Missouri have equitable access to high-quality schools where students can thrive. As the voice of the state’s charter school community, we provide ongoing support to schools, advocate for supportive public policies, and inform the public about the benefits of a charter school model.

Newsletter Introduction

This quarterly newsletter is designed to keep MCPSA members, charter school families and staff, and those interested in Missouri’s charter schools informed about the latest news and updates about the state, and national, charter school sector. E
ach edition will highlight stories from the field, progress around the state, and happenings in our charter school community.
It’s a space to stay connected, inspired, and engaged with what’s happening on the ground.

Association Updates

Organizational Update

By Noah Devine

As the school year and legislative session come to a close, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of everyone in our charter school community and wish you a restful and enjoyable summer.

This is the first installment of our quarterly newsletter, designed to keep you informed about charter school-related happenings and what the association is doing on behalf of our member schools and the sector as a whole.

I would like to start by giving a warm welcome to our newest addition at MCPSA and introducing her all to you: Shelly Branstetter joined Gloria Howell in Member Services as an associate earlier this month. We’re happy to have her and excited for you all to get to know her.

We continue to think of our St. Louis schools and students
who were affected by the tornados on May 16. In spite of the devastation, our
charter school community is doing incredible work to support the city and their school communities.

From GoFundMes and donation drives to flyers with resources, we’ve pulled everything together in one place—
take a look here
and consider supporting.

To everyone affected—our thoughts are with you, and we’re here to help however we can.

Finally, I also wanted to use this end of year time, and reflective moment, to acknowledge three of our charter leaders who are moving on after years of service and dedication.

Kelly Garrett
:
Kelly is retiring from KIPP: STL, after serving as the ED since 2011. For all of us, myself included, we will miss Kelly in this capacity. He has been a mentor and always been ready to not only advocate for KIPP, but for all of us.
Nathalie Henderson
will be taking the reigns at KIPP: STL and we are excited to welcome her, welcome her back to STL, and look forward to the work ahead!
Kirsten Lipari-Braman
:
Kirsten is retiring from Gordon Parks, after serving as the ED since 2018 and since being at the school since 2009. Kirsten has been a stalwart in this work and been kind enough to lend her time and talents to the MCPSA board of directors. Her successor is

Darby O’Neill

and we are excited to welcome him.

Miranda Ming:Miranda is retiring from Momentum, after serving as the ED since 2022 and being with Momentum since 2020. Miranda has been a champion, leader, and advocate for kids. She leads with integrity and care and has also been kind enough to lend her time and talents to the MCPSA board of directors.
Liz Vaerio
will be taking the reins at Momentum and we are excited to welcome her and look forward to the work ahead. Miranda will be staying on to support Momentum.

Finally, I want to remind school leaders that we will send out Model Policies before Labor Day.

Thank you for your continued support. We’re looking forward to what’s ahead!

Thank you, Kelly, Kirsten & Miranda!

Get to Know Our New Member Services Associate: Shelly Branstetter

Favorite Food:

My favorite food is often something the cook takes great pride in and is delighted to share—whether it’s a restaurant’s signature dish or a cherished family recipe.

Where Are You Located:

Midtown Kansas City, Missouri.

What You Used to Do:
I used to be a Membership Services Manager for the Texas Association of School Board Facility Services department.

Why MCPSA:

I was drawn to the organization’s mission of promoting equitable education for all students.

Fun Fact:
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is wander through local grocery and convenience stores—it’s a fascinating way to see how people eat every day, how products are marketed, and how it all contrasts with what we’re used to in the U.S.

Communications

By Edie Barnard

MCPSA’s 2025 Communications Plan is off to a strong start. With public perception a top priority, we partnered with Hattaway Communications to survey families, staff, and voters. The findings affirmed that greater awareness leads to increased support—and we’ve used those insights to guide our strategy.

So far this year, we’ve launched targeted digital ad campaigns in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Boone County with help from EAG and RedEdge. These efforts are boosting website traffic and increasing engagement across platforms. We’re also proud to collaborate with Brightbeam and Chris Stewart to elevate authentic school stories and train community influencers to challenge misinformation…

Member Services & Federal Programs

By Gloria Howell

MCPSA is excited to help launch the McKinney-Vento Transportation Cooperative, a groundbreaking pilot uniting charter and district schools in St. Louis to address shared student transportation needs. This collaborative effort aims to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and expand access for McKinney-Vento eligible students. Modeled after Kansas City’s successful GO Bond initiative, the cooperative will operate under a fee-for-service structure with clear governance, legal compliance, and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with participating LEAs to ensure accountability and long-term sustainability.

Additionally, we have held several successful MKV meetings in both St. Louis and Kansas City, and are proud to be able to provide best practices to those in our LEAs who are in direct contact with our most vulnerable.

Data & Research

By Jose Sotelo

What We Learned This Quarter:
This quarter, we found some encouraging news about Missouri charter schools. Data shows that charter students made 13% better academic growth last school year compared to the state average. When we look at specific cities, Kansas City charters scored 73.7% on growth measures while St. Louis charters reached 76.9%—both higher than Missouri’s state average of 62.1%.

Families Are Choosing Charter Schools: The numbers tell a clear story about what families want for their children. Charter school enrollment has grown 3% since 2019, while traditional district schools in St. Louis and Kansas City have seen an 11% decline. Early childhood programs have grown by an impressive 144%, showing that parents are choosing charter schools for their youngest learners…

Public Charter School Atmospheric Ad Campaign

Earlier this year, in partnership with a Washington, D.C.-based firm, we produced a series of charter school advertisements and video assets. As part of this effort, a production and camera crew spent a week in Missouri capturing interviews with parents, teachers, students, and community advocates about their experiences with charter schools and the importance of having them as an educational option.

The ads will be strategically deployed in specific geographic areas—including St. Louis, Kansas City, and rural Missouri—in a series of targeted waves aligned with key moments such as enrollment season, back-to-school, and the lead-up to the 2026 legislative session. A general “atmospheric campaign” will run consistently throughout the year.

Enjoy one of our highest performing ads to date, below.

Advocacy & Awareness

Over the past three months, our advocacy efforts have primarily revolved around Boone County. Our organization has focused on raising awareness and building support for public charter schools.

In April, we connected with families and community members at the Columbia Chamber’s Business in Motion EXPO, where interest in school choice was clear.

Noah Devine
and another team member have also been meeting with local leaders to build relationships and better understand the landscape.

2025 Legislative Update

By Noah Devine

Charter Facilities Funding:

The state has included $10M for charter school facilities in the state budget. This is a huge line item and accomplishment.
State board of education:

There are three new state board members: Jon Otto, Mike Matousek, and Brooks Miller. We will begin the work of educating all of the new and current board members about charter schools.
Funding formula modernization task force:

The Governor announced the need to rewrite Missouri’s 20 year old funding formula.

I
(
Noah Devine
)
was appointed

by
the Governor at the end of May to be part of this task force and look forward to serving.
SB68:

SB68
(restricting cell phones), also says students of teachers and contractors of charter and district schools, who reside outside the district, can attend those schools and the school will receive state aid. It also has a provision allowing for recovery high schools to be charter and we have interest in STL to support this.
Funding and choice:

The foundation formula and transportation being fully funded – with a huge increase in funding – is good for Missouri. ESAs getting funded is also significant.

What’s Next

Missouri Charter School Conference

We are excited to expand our annual Missouri Charter School Conference to include teachers, support staff and all of those who make our charter schools run. Join MCPSA and Missouri’s charter school community on
October 9–10 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand
for two days of learning, connection, and celebration.

This year’s keynote speaker is the legendary
Geoffrey Canada
,
visionary leader of the Harlem Children’s Zone.

2025 National Charter School Conference

Join MCPSA in Orlando for the National Charter School Conference from June 29 through July 2, 2025.

As the largest national gathering of charter school leaders, educators, and advocates, NCSC is where the movement meets and the future of K-12 education takes shape. This conference is your one-stop destination for cutting-edge resources, innovative ideas, and game-changing strategies. With a focus on collaboration and expertly curated content, you’ll connect with nationally recognized thought leaders and dive into unmatched learning and networking opportunities.

Don’t just attend—be part of the movement shaping the future of education and be inspired by the impact you can make.

Stay informed

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You can also visit our
website
or
landing page
to learn more.

Thanks for Reading…

And remember:
Charter schools
are still tuition-free, still public, still misunderstood.

Keep spreading the word.