The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2097 transitions elementary agricultural education from pilot to statewide program and sets private school participation standards
Last action · May 14, 2026: Referred: Fiscal Review(H)Sponsors: John Martin and 3 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, Missouri transitions its elementary agricultural education program from a limited pilot to a statewide offering available to public elementary schools. The measure removes past caps on school participation, establishes standards for accredited private schools to adopt agricultural programming without receiving specific program state funding, and requires participating private schools to reimburse the department annually for oversight costs.
Changes how agricultural education is administered and scaled across Missouri public and private elementary schools, affecting school districts choosing to implement the curriculum, participating private schools subject to oversight fees, and state education personnel managing regional support.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Public elementary schools
Local school boards may choose to participate in the statewide elementary agricultural education program and implement grade-appropriate instructional models.
Private schools
Accredited private schools may adopt state standards to apply for a local chapter of a national agricultural education association while paying annual oversight reimbursement.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The department must develop application processes, establish instructional models, provide program evaluations on its website, and maintain regional certified staff.
Key Facts
- The department of elementary and secondary education is authorized to establish an elementary agricultural education program statewide beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
- Participation by public elementary schools is entirely voluntary, and local school boards electing to participate may employ an agricultural education teacher.
- Accredited private schools may adopt agricultural education standards set by the state board to apply for a local chapter of a federally chartered national agricultural education association.
- Private schools participating under the private school provision are ineligible to receive state or federal funding specifically for agricultural vocational education through this provision and must reimburse the department annually for oversight and maintenance costs.
Show all 8 facts
- Instructional models must be grade-appropriate and include organized classroom instruction, collaborative learning experiences through investigation and inquiry, and leadership development opportunities.
- The department must provide for a program evaluation regarding the success and impact of the program and report results on its website.
- The department is required to maintain an adequate number of full-time employees certified in agricultural education and distributed regionally throughout the state.
- The requirements of section 160.514 do not apply to this section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are public elementary schools required to participate in the agricultural education program?
Can private schools receive state or federal funding for agricultural vocational education under the new private school provisions?
When does the statewide elementary agricultural education program begin?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Local students receive more than $211,000 in scholarships from Community Foundation
The Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois & Northeast Missouri has distributed more than $211,450 in scholarship funds to 32 local students. The awards are intended to support area residents as they pursue higher education.
School Board, District 6
Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
32 actions- May 14, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Fiscal Review(H)
- May 14, 2026HouseReported to the House with... (H)
- May 14, 2026SenateFloorThird Read and Passed with Amendments (S)
- May 14, 2026SenateSS Adopted (S)
- May 14, 2026HouseSS Offered
- May 14, 2026SenateTaken Up for Third Reading (S)
Show 26 earlier actions
- May 7, 2026HousePlaced on Informal Calendar
- Apr 28, 2026SenateCommitteeReported Do Pass (S)
- Apr 2, 2026SenateCommitteeVoted Do Pass (S)
- Apr 2, 2026SenateExecutive Session Held (S)
- Apr 2, 2026SenatePublic Hearing Held (S)
- Mar 26, 2026SenatePublic Hearing Scheduled (S)
- Mar 12, 2026SenateCommitteeSecond read and referred: Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources(S)
- Mar 2, 2026SenateReported to the Senate and First Read (S)
- Mar 2, 2026HouseFloorThird Read and Passed (H)
- Mar 2, 2026HouseTaken Up for Third Reading (H)
- Feb 25, 2026HousePerfected (H)
- Feb 25, 2026HouseHCS Adopted (H)
- Feb 25, 2026HouseTitle of Bill - Agreed To
- Feb 25, 2026HouseTaken Up for Perfection (H)
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Do Pass (H)
- Feb 17, 2026HouseCommitteeVoted Do Pass (H)
- Feb 17, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Feb 5, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Rules - Administrative(H)
- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Jan 21, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Jan 14, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Special Committee on Rural Issues(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 2, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
_edited.jpg){kind=small}
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transition from Pilot to Statewide Program
The legislation removes pilot restrictions and selection minimums to scale elementary agricultural education across the entire state beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools