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School board prepares for state legislation raising teacher pay

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 5/25/22

Members of the Fayette Board of Education are weighing options of increasing teacher pay while awaiting for Missouri Governor Mike Parson to sign into law a new budget that will hike minimum teacher …

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School board prepares for state legislation raising teacher pay

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Members of the Fayette Board of Education are weighing options of increasing teacher pay while awaiting for Missouri Governor Mike Parson to sign into law a new budget that will hike minimum teacher salaries across the state.

Parson is expected to sign House Bill 3002 which was recently passed by the Missouri legislature. The Missouri General Assembly on May 6 passed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) $10 billion budget, which includes fully funding Governor Parson’s recommendation to increase the baseline teacher salary from $25,000 to $38,000 through a matching grant program. Once Parson signs the bill, the state will provide local school districts with funds to support 70 percent of the salary increases. Local school districts would provide the remaining 30 percent, along with other benefits such as retirement and Medicare funding.

The extra funding is essentially a grant program that school districts may opt into, and is only good for one year.

Parson championed the base salary increase. Missouri currently has the lowest annual starting teacher salary in the nation at $33,234 and is 47th in average teacher salary at $51,557, according to a study by the National Education Association.

While it is expected that Parson will sign the bill, the salary increase is only good for one year. That means that if the extra funding is to continue, it will once again have to be passed by the legislation and signed by the Governor again next year.

Superintendent Jill Wiseman reported to the board that the district currently has 21 teachers who are compensated below the proposed $38,000 minimum threshold. The cost to increase their salaries would add up to $78,460, of which the state would pay 70 percent. Fayette’s portion would cost $25,538.

Wiseman proposed giving teachers who already make at least $38,000 an increase as well. She included samples ranging from bumps of $1,500 to $2,000. The cost for the district to increase those salaries by $2,000 would be $66,080, based on current staffing. Currently, 34 teachers in the district already make at least $38,000 per year.

“I wanted to figure out a way to address our staff that are above the $38,000,” Wiseman told the board. “They’re not being affected by that state increase.” The purpose of the legislation is to attract more college graduates to the teaching profession, which has dropped in recent years.

Funding both 30 percent of the increase to $38,000, and the salary increases for staff with salaries above the minimum threshold, including benefits, could cost the district up to an additional $112,672 over what it paid a year ago.

“We would still likely see an ending fund balance of approximately 50 percent for the fiscal year 2023 school year,” Wiseman wrote in her monthly report to the board. “As staffing changes are made, these numbers obviously go up or down accordingly.”

The school board discussed options during its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 18 of how to pay out the raises given the uncertainty of whether or not the program will continue after one year. Wiseman suggested the extra pay could be treated as a bonus check, rather than an increase to monthly salary checks.

If the legislature doesn’t continue the program, then Fayette would have to go back to its original salary schedule, Wiseman explained. 

Also of concern is making sure that tenured teachers and those who hold higher degrees see adequate salary increases, as well as starting teachers.

“It’s my perspective…that the newer, younger teachers are harder to keep in that system,” said Kristen Gibbs, the district’s newest board member. “If we don’t put a step in there now, how many people are we going to make mad, because the person who just started is making the same amount as the person who’s been there 10 years,” she asked. “You’re giving a whole lot more money to a person with a whole lot less experience.”

Superintendent Wiseman said she would continue to explore further options and welcomed any ideas from board members. 

“Teacher compensation and teacher retention is at the top of the board’s goals,” said board member Shauna Young. “The biggest concern at this point that I’m hearing is making sure we differentiate from our experienced teachers as well.”

Board president Skip Vandelicht said that the district can not afford to pass up this opportunity. “Especially when you’re looking at bigger schools that are looking at four-day school weeks now. That was one of our enticements. That was one of the reasons we went to the four-day, to retain and attract teachers. The more schools that do that, the more differently we have to look at [options] to attract and retain teachers.”

The board will ultimately make final decisions regarding salary increases at its meeting in June. The board pushed back that meeting by one week to allow for more time for further information to be submitted by DESE. At that meeting, which will now be held on Wednesday, June 22, the board is expected to approve the preliminary budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The bill also includes around $37 million to restart the Career Ladder program, which allows teachers with at least five years of experience to earn extra money for participating in additional activities in the school setting. It also includes a one-time increase of $214 million to support transportation for public schools. Once passed, it will fully fund the maximum 75 percent of reimbursable costs for the first time since 1991.

The Fayette Board of Education meets regularly in the administrative building at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month except for July. June’s meeting will take place a week later than usual on June 22. Meeting are open and the public is invited.

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