Missouri Sparks a Brighter Future for Students, Parents, and Teachers

A long-awaited breakthrough came this past Thursday in the Missouri House of Representatives, as the chamber narrowly passed Senate Bill (SB) 727, the large education bill. The bill now heads to the governor's desk. SB 727 provides a wide array of benefits to students, parents, and teachers of the Show-Me State.

For students, this bill expands access to Missouri's education savings account (ESA) program, provides a new pathway to creating a charter school in Columbia, and creates a new evidence-based home reading program.

SB 727 provides students increased access to schools that better suit their needs. We tell children all the time to dream big, and this will give many students additional opportunities to attend a school of their dreams-not just of their address.

Parents also receive an additional benefit from this bill. In larger communities (of more than 30,000 or in/partially in a charter county), districts now must win parental approval by vote in order to move to a four-day school week.

For teachers, increased salaries and scholarships are on the way. Minimum starting salaries will be raised from $25,000 to $40,000. Additionally, salaries for teachers with a master's degree and ten years of experience will be raised from $33,000 to $46,000 (and then to $48,000 by 2027-2028).

For teachers in hard-to-staff subjects, districts will have the option to provide them differentiated compensation through higher placement on the teacher salary schedule. Additionally, teachers who work in hard-to-staff schools can be granted differentiated pay from the district. A scholarship program will also be created for individuals who agree to teach in hard-to-staff subject areas and schools in Missouri following their graduation. For a state that does not have a general shortage of teachers, but a shortage in specific areas, this is a step toward retaining and recruiting these high-need teachers.

While there are other policies that I hope can be implemented to strengthen SB 727, such as open enrollment for all, I will save those discussions for another day. Today, I am just glad for the progress that has been made.