The accolades of former Senator Charlie Shields are too numerous for a simple hillbilly to list, but the only thing I’m sure of is that he will never get enough credit for his time at DESE.
He started his career in public service as he paused it this summer, on a school board. Yes, it was back in 1987 when Whitey Herzog and the Cardinals won the pennant Charlie Shields went onto the Mid-Buchanan R-V School Board.
It was in 1990 that he was elected both President of the School Board and as State Representative in district 9.
He served in the tightening democrat majority until 2022. Just as the house republicans went into the majority, he was elected to the senate.
There is something important about the republicans who served in the minority, or even like a Ron Richard or Jay Wasson who served with people who served in the minority. Its why I think Catherine Hanaway was such a great appointment as Attorney General.
They harken back to a day when you had to have some care and concern for the state instead of just for a political party. They knew how to persuade people to become republicans, they had to.
He started his senate career in a 18-16 senate, and did such an amazing job of convincing Missourians to stop voting democratic and start voting republican that when he left the Missouri Senate after being elected the Pro Tem there was a 23-11 republican super majority.
He had a long list of accomplishments in his two decades in the General Assembly, but they might have been surpassed by his time at DESE.
Charlie was appointed to the board in 2012, and became the president of the board in 2015 succeeding the legendary Peter Herschend.
During his time as president of the board he created the Office of Childhood, organized statewide teacher recruitment and retention efforts, launched the Read, Lead, Exceed initiative, approved the first school innovation waivers as the department works alongside the Success-Ready Students Network.
He also improved workforce development measures — Missouri is a top state in the nation for apprenticeship opportunities, and we’ve seen a 15% increase over the last five years in the number of Missouri high school graduates who earned an Industry Recognized Credential.
Those are the types of schools where the students don’t protest stuff and actually have jobs when they graduate.
However, his best day was in 2018. If you had to name a criticism of Governor Nixon it would be the that he left several state boards and commissions with too many members on expired terms which could be exploited by a future Governor.
A group of out of state billionaires elected Eric Greitens in a primary over Peter Kinder, Catherine Hanaway, and John Brunner. Then Donald Trump carried the entire ticket into office in the fall.
Greitens treated the state like a rental car. He piled the DESE board with folks who made no secret they were going to do as he told them.
Without even the courtesy of being confirmed by the senate they took to tearing apart the department.
In 2017 most republicans rolled over and bent for Greitens. There weren’t many who held their ground. Charlie Shields damn sure held his.
I really think if Greitens would have communicated a vision to the board I think Charlie would have done what he could to accommodate him.
However, Greitens didn’t communicate, he ordered, and well Charlie led a group of folks who weren’t gonna be slapped around.
In the end thanks to his steady hand they weathered the storm, the senate didn’t confirm any of Greitens nominees and by the fall of 2018 you never would have never even known he was Governor and yet Charlie led the board for another seven years.
Reasonable people can argue about education policy. Personally, I’m not sure I agree with him on it.
However, no one can argue that Charlie Shields is a legendary protector of this state, and its traditions and its customs.
If he had a second best day it was when he convinced Senator Karla Eslinger to take the Executive Director job. Its a hard job, and there is absolutely no one in the state better for it.
He will never get the credit he is due, most legends don’t.
You know, it would be fitting to see him continue his service to the state on another commission…such as say the Conservation Commission.
Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times, owner of the Clayton Times in Clayton; SEMO Times in Poplar Bluff; and host of the only statewide political television show, This Week in Missouri Politics.
