Battle for MSHSAA Control: MO Senate bill would create governor-selected Board of Directors

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KQTV) -- It's a week filled with state championship celebrations for several high school wrestlers across Missouri inside Mizzou Arena in Columbia, but in the background of it all, there's a fight for control brewing in Jefferson City.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has been the non-profit governing body for Missouri high schools for 100 years. However, there are some state legislators who want to take over the oversight of the association.

During this legislative session, State Senator Jason Bean (R-District 25) filed Senate Bill 863 that would create an outside, governor-appointed Board of Directors to oversee the state association.

"This is not just one incident that happened last week," Bean said. "This is over time."

Bean said he presented the legislation again this session because of ongoing concerns from constituents about MSHSAA's rulings that have impacted high school teams.

An issue with a Cooter High School basketball game in 2023 included a points error, causing the Cooter boys to lose the Class 2 Quarterfinals.

Cooter's appeal process was unsuccessful with the MSHSAA Board of Directors.

That is just one issue Sen. Bean mentioned during a conversation with KQ2 in early February. He said his legislation push is for more oversight and transparency for MSHSAA.

While Bean is working to get his legislation through the Missouri Senate, MSHSAA executives are fighting back.

"Our association as we know it is under attack from our state legislature," MSHSAA Executive Director Jennifer Rukstad said.

Rukstad released a video statement on MSHSAA's website with a plea to the 724 member schools and their communities to reject this potential government oversight.

The private, non-profit association leads the hundreds of schools and thousands of coaches and students throughout the state. MSHSAA deals with a lot of eligibility and transfer appeals every year, but the association does a lot more than that.

"That's, I think, a huge misnomer, is that we're all about championships and transfers and that's not what we're all about," Rukstad said. "Our schools are really empowered to do tremendous things through athletics and activities with the support of their state association."

Sen. Bean said he does not want to do away with MSHSAA. He believes that this legislation provides more accountability for the association.

"We do not want to do away with MSHSAA," Bean said. "I think there's a lot of good in MSHSAA.

The push for government-appointed oversight doesn't stop with Sen. Bean. In fact, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe made it a talking point during this year's State of the State speech.

"Unelected bureaucrats cannot act like kings," Kehoe said during his speech.

To learn how the public feels about this potential legislation, KQ2 created a Facebook poll that had 337 votes. 93% of the voters said "no" to government oversight of the state association.

Some people said they voted "no", but said it doesn't mean they agree with everything MSHSAA does. The voters specified they believe the government will not help.

In a statement to KQ2, Missouri State Senator Tony Luetkemeyer (R-District 34) said he agrees with Sen. Bean's legislation.

“Missouri’s student athletes and their families deserve to know that the organizations governing their competitions are being held accountable. Senate Bill 863 brings common-sense oversight to MSHSAA to ensure there is a transparent, publicly appointed board responsible for how decisions are made.”

Meanwhile, State Senator Rusty Black (R-District 12) said he doesn't support the bill, but he also does not oppose it.

"We'll end up in a place that people can survive, if we pass anything," Black said in an interview with KQ2.

Sen. Bean and Rukstad are on opposite sides of this situation, but both have expressed an interest in finding a way to work together.

Bean goes back to the concerns of having the state association be the appeals committee for issues inside the association.

"When you rule on your own official, you're probably going to generally rule in their favor," Bean said. "I think this is really just part of the thing that we see that would really benefit in this oversight board."

Rukstad said her biggest fear in all of this continues to be the impact on the schools and students.

"That takes the governance of an education-based system away from educators," said Rukstad. "We are welcoming the conversation about bringing in an outside look with the appeals committee, but to give all governance to the state government, it seems inconsistent.

As of Friday, Feb. 27, the bill is on the Senate informal calendar for March 2, but there have not been any changes or updates to the proposed legislation since early February.

The bill will have to be voted on and passed in the Senate before it moves over to the House of Representatives for its own potential vote on the legislation.