Missouri education leaders begin meetings on teacher recommendations
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A special commission formed to study how to attract and keep quality teachers in Missouri will present its final recommendations to the State Board of Education in Jefferson City on Tuesday.
The State Board of Education's Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission will meet at the Jefferson City School District.
The commission's recommendations include immediate, short-term priorities and long-term priorities. These three categories are based on how long the special commission believes it will take to implement each category.
Margie Vandeven, the Commissioner of Education, said "The business leaders, legislators, and educators on the Commission took their work seriously, and we appreciate their diligence and thoughtfulness developing these recommendations."
Immediate priorities include increasing the starting teacher salary in state statute and continuing funding to support the new Teacher Baseline Salary Grant program.
Short-term priorities include establishing a statewide fund to support schools in providing increased salaries and increasing support for mental health resources for teachers, school leaders and staff. They will also provide tuition assistance for teachers by fully funding the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program Funds currently in the statute.
Long-term priorities are providing salary supplements for filling high-need positions and offering salary supplements for certified teachers.
"Now is the time for the entire state to come together to find long-term solutions to increase teacher pay," said Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven.
Tuesday's meeting is one of several that will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the following dates in the following locations:
- Oct. 25: Jefferson City
- Nov. 7: Maplewood (Maplewood Richmond Heights)
- Nov. 9: Independence (Fort Osage School District)
- Nov. 10: Chillicothe
- Nov. 15: Ballwin (Parkway schools)
- Nov. 16: Nixa
- Nov. 17: Poplar Bluff
