From school funding to teacher pay, a controversial Missouri law began Wednesday that affects your area schools in several ways. Some of the provisions are widely supported. Other provisions, not so much.
A key piece changes how Missouri’s K-12 public schools are funded. The bill sponsor, Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, said school funding takes enrollment into account instead of the daily average attendance.
“A lot of the schools have fixed costs, so if that child doesn’t show up to school for a day, if they’re sick or weak, then that funding is not going to follow that student to that school on those particular days,” he told Missourinet. “What this (law) will do is, whether that child shows up to school or not, that school still has to provide a bus, still has to provide a teacher, still has to provide a desk in the classroom. And so by changing the way we fund schools based on enrollment, that makes sense.”
The law requires larger school districts to hold a vote of the people if they want to move to a four-day school week.
“There’s some concerns that some schools in the more urban areas are switching to four-day school weeks and that doesn’t seem to work well for parents or students, trying to cram in four days rather than five days. In some of the rural areas, it may make sense to do something like that. If you have really long bus rides, you don’t want kids sitting on the buses for hours every single day,” said Koenig.
A small incentive would be given to districts who hold classes five days a week.
According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 168 districts and charter schools held classes four days a week during the previous academic year.
The law includes so-called “school choice” measures that many lawmakers, regardless of party, are not on the same page about. One provision expands access and funding to a tax credit program that is designed to allow Missouri students to go to private schools.
Another one allows Missouri charter schools to open in Columbia. Rep. Adrian Plank, D-Columbia, said the law will “destroy” his area because traditional schools will lose money and be forced to ask citizens for a tax increase.
A provision that has wide bipartisan support increases the minimum teacher salary. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the beginning minimum teacher’s salary must be $40,000.
Some lawmakers think that’s too much. Others think it’s a good starting point. Then there are lawmakers who don’t think that figure is enough to compete with neighboring states, like Arkansas, where the baseline teacher salary is $50,000 a year.
For a full-time teacher with a master’s degree related to the teacher’s assignment and 10 years of experience, the minimum salary will be $46,000 in 2025-26, $47,000 in 2026-27, and $48,000 in 2027-28.
In 2028-29, minimum teacher salaries will be adjusted annually by inflation, capped at 3%.
Senate Bill 727 also:
• Establishes a fund to boost elementary reading skills
• Increases the small school grant funding program from $15 million to $30 million per year
• Protects retirement benefits for educators who continue teaching after retirement
• Creates the Teacher Recruitment and Retention State Scholarship Program
Does Koenig think SB 727 is the magic bullet for education?
“I’m not saying it’s going to fix all of the problems, but I do think it’s a better way to fund schools,” he said.
To review the bill, click here.
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