Missouri – On May 7, 2024, Governor Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 727 and House Bill 2287 into law. These bills will permanently increase the base pay of teachers, incentivize longer school weeks, increase support for early childhood education programs, and increase small school funding.
Senate Bill 727 and House Bill 2287 contain provisions for the following subjects:
- Permanently raise starting teachers’ pay to at least $40,000 a year. Increase salaries for teachers with a master’s degree and 10+ years of experience to a minimum of $48,000 per year by 2027. Increase all Missouri Teachers’ salaries by the January Consumer Price Index report, with a cap of 3 percent annually.
- Increase state funding for early childhood education programs.
- Increase the funding limit and expand access to Missouri’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts.
- Incentivizes school districts in municipalities larger than 30,000 to have 5-day school weeks.
- Establishes the Elementary Literacy Fund – This would provide grants to school districts and charter schools for home reading programs for children in kindergarten to 5th grade.
- 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.
- Establishes the Teacher Recruitment and Retention State Scholarship Program – this would encourage aspiring teachers to pursue their education and enter the profession.
In a recent press release, Governor Mike Parson stated, ” I have and always will support Missouri teachers. Since the beginning of our administration, we’ve looked at ways to increase teacher pay and reward our educators for the hard work they do, and this legislation helps us continue that progress. We ask a lot of our educators when it comes to teaching and caring for our children. Together, this legislation supports Missouri students, teachers, and families with more educational opportunities to succeed – including additional investments in pre-k – while ensuring our teachers earn a better wage.”
For more information on Senate Bill 727 click here. For more information on House Bill 2287 click here.
