Commission recommends more pay, diversity to help recruit and keep Missouri teachers
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A special commission recommended to the state school board on Tuesday that Missouri pay teachers more money, diversify the education workforce and help them with mental health concerns.
Those were some of the recommendations from the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission on teacher recruitment and retention. The Missouri State Board of Education accepted the recommendations at its meeting Tuesday.
The commission presented immediate, short-term and long-term strategies aimed to address Missouri's teacher shortage and increasing teachers' salaries.
The categories are organized based on how long the commission believes it will take to implement each strategy.
Mallory McGowin, spokeswoman for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said a change in salary is the first step.
"This could be a real game-changer moving forward in better attracting individuals to the teacher workforce," McGowin said.
The commission suggested increasing the starting teacher salary in state statute and continuing funding to support the new Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Program. The program received $21.8 million in funds in the 2023 state budget to bring starting salaries up to a minimum of $38,000.
The commission's report says the increase would cost the state about $29 million.
The commission believes these strategies will attract more Missouri students to pursue a career in education, according to its report to the board. Missouri, like many other states, is dealing with a shortage of classroom teachers.
An immediate priority made by the commission is funding for the Career Ladder Program that pays teachers more for work they do outside the classroom.
"There are a number of teachers fa-fulling their duties outside their contract hours whether they are supporting after school programs, more tutoring, you name it," McGowin said.
McGowin said each recommendation will have an impact and bring more teachers to the classroom.
"We are thrilled to have these recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission," McGowin said. "Now, its time to move forward and operationalize them and making them a reality."
According to a survey conducted by the state in September, more than 15,000 educators across the state want pay to be prioritized as schools try to recruit and retain more staff.
The report also said Missouri schools need more diversity among teachers, as 93% of teachers are white women.
The state board and the commission will be hosting a series of meetings with the public to share the recommendations and to discuss the teacher workforce challenges.
