JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri school board members will gather at the Capitol to meet with their local representatives on Monday.

The initiative is a part of the Missouri School Board Association’s Missouri Legislative Day, during which school board members and legislatures will discuss issues facing Missouri schools.

Missouri School Board Association Deputy Executive Director Berent Ghan said it is important that legislatures and school board members meet face to face.

"We just think it's extremely important that the legislators hear the school board perspective because school boards are locally elected officials just like legislators are and they have a real good understanding of the impact that various bills might have on their local school districts," he said. 

Some topics up for discussion include school choice, workforce development, school safety and funding. One particularly notable issue up for debate is charter school expansion.

“We have concerns about charter schools, the way they are structured right now.” Ghan said. "Charter schools do receive tax payer dollars, yet they are not accountable to the public for each of those dollars and their performance in the same way our traditional public schools are."

Later in the afternoon, the Missouri School Board Association will host a student showcase where students across the state will present their school’s programs.

According to the Missouri School Board Association’s website legislative day kicks off the state’s School Board Appreciation Week, which runs through Saturday.

During the week communities will honor the service of their school board members. The goal of the week is to build awareness and understanding of the important role school board members play in their communities.