Beth's Support for Public Education

For Beth Grubb, public education is closely tied to the long-term health of Missouri’s communities, workforce, and economy.

Grubb has identified education funding as one of the central issues in her campaign for Missouri House District 53. She believes the state should provide stronger support for public schools and that dedicated revenue sources should supplement, rather than replace, funding from the state’s general revenue.

“Public education is the most important thing we can fund to save our democracy,” Grubb wrote in her campaign questionnaire. She said an educated public is important to government, culture, and the country’s future, while also emphasizing the economic return that comes from investment in education.

A personal connection to public schools

Grubb’s interest in education is also personal.

Her husband taught in public schools for 31 years, her daughter works as a speech therapist in the public school system, and several members of her extended family are educators. She said those relationships have given her a firsthand view of the pressures teachers face, including changing community expectations, unfunded mandates, and increased criticism of public education.

She has also expressed concern about protecting the Public School Retirement System, noting that many retired educators depend on it for their financial security.

Funding public schools

One of Grubb’s concerns is the amount of state support provided to Missouri public schools.

She has said that Missouri should increase its commitment to education funding and that new sources of education revenue should add to existing state support rather than be used as a replacement for it.

Grubb has also criticized policies that direct public tax dollars toward private education. In explaining why she chose to run again in 2026, she pointed specifically to public-school funding and teacher compensation as areas where she believes Missouri can improve.

Supporting teachers and local schools

Grubb has said she is concerned about the way teachers and public schools are increasingly discussed in public life.

She described seeing educators questioned about their professionalism and the value of their work, and she has previously written publicly in defense of teachers and public education.

Her position is that strong public schools remain an important part of small-town and rural Missouri, both for students and for the communities that form around them.

That connection fits into a broader theme Grubb has described throughout her campaign: preserving the institutions that help hold rural communities together, including schools, family farms, local events, and shared community traditions.

Education as an investment in Missouri’s future

Grubb’s approach to education reflects her professional background as a health economist and public-policy analyst. She tends to describe public spending in terms of long-term costs and benefits, and she views education as an investment that produces benefits well beyond the classroom.

For her, the discussion about public education is therefore not limited to school budgets. It includes teacher recruitment and retention, retirement security, local economic development, community stability, and whether Missouri is preparing the next generation for the future.

As the campaign continues, public education is expected to remain one of the issues Grubb discusses most frequently with voters across House District 53.