A Win for Education in Missouri

Senate Bill (SB) 727, which has been moving through the legislature in fits and starts this year, was finally passed by the House and will be going to the governor's desk. The bill ended up being quite large. Here is some of what's in it.

Charter schools could be coming to Boone County. If a group of teachers, parents, or citizens wants to open a charter school and has a solid application, it can now apply to a university or the state charter school board for sponsorship. The group does not need the approval of a local school board.

Eligibility for the MO Scholars scholarship program for low-income students and students with disabilities has been greatly expanded. There are no longer geographic restrictions for who is eligible. The income limits for eligibility have been raised. The total amount of tax credits that can be dedicated to the program was increased from $50 million to $75 million. And the dollar amount of the scholarship was raised to bring the number in line with the Foundation Formula amounts for similar types of students.

Districts in the state's largest communities must now put a potential switch to a four-day school week to a vote. There is also a financial incentive that will be remitted to any district that remains open five days per week.

There is also an important change to the state's foundation formula. Previously, students were counted purely based on attendance. Now, the formula will be 50 percent based on attendance and 50 percent based on enrollment.

The minimum teacher salary was raised from $25,000 to $40,000 for all teachers and from $33,000 to $46,000 for teachers with master's degrees.

Districts will be able to attempt to fill teaching positions in "hard-to-staff" schools by placing teachers higher on the salary schedule than they normally would be.

There are many more provisions to SB 727. It represents a defensible trade-off between increasing options for Missouri students who need them and investing in the system. I look forward to the governor signing it.