Missouri teachers to see increase in pay in new school year

By: 
Kaleena Ricketts

Ranking among the lowest paid in the country, teachers to soon see larger paychecks
 
Recently, teachers in the state of Missouri were notified that their salaries were going to receive a bit of a cushion for the 2022-23 school year and with the cost of living expenses currently skyrocketing, it's likely welcome.
The State of Missouri established a grant opportunity to raise the teacher minimum salary from $33,371 to $38,000. That is an increase of $4,629.
The Teacher Baseline Salary Grant supports salary increases for teaching staff to ensure they receive a baseline salary of $38,000, with up to 70 percent of the additional salary coming from state grant funds, and the remaining 30 percent and any related benefit costs coming from local sources.
According to a statement on the DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) website, Gov. Mike Parson recommended the grant and the General Assembly approved the funds in hopes of making strides in addressing and increasing teacher pay in the state. Missouri ranks among the lowest states in the nation for baseline teacher salaries, followed only by Montana, with a starting salary of $32,000.
While currently the grant is only applicable for the 2022-23 school year, school officials are hopeful that the grant will continue to be funded in the future.
Scott Cook, Superintendent of Mt. Vernon Schools, said his district is eager to invest in good, quality educators.
"The priority heading into planning for the upcoming year's budget was to find a way to provide a greater investment into salary schedules for both our teaching staff and support staff," Cook said. "The greatest resources we have to strengthen the children in our district are the teachers and support staff members who provide a foundation of success and the board was committed to investing in staff members to provide additional finances during this difficult economic climate. We were able to allocate additional revenue to provide the largest salary increases in district history due to a prosperous economic year locally combined with a small reduction in faculty and changes to insurance offerings. We were so pleased to offer this well-deserved pay increase to all our staff members in the coming year."
Superintendent of Miller Schools, Dr. XXXXX Storm is also anxious for staff in the Miller district to feel a little bit of relief.
 "The Miller R-II School District is fortunate to have such an outstanding group of professionals that strive to provide the best possible educational opportunities for our students. I appreciate the state legislature and Gov. Parson recognizing that more needs to be done to retain and attract qualified individuals in our schools."
Both districts are now able to provide an increase in pay to not only their certified positions, but their non-certified employees will see an increase, as well.
The Miller R-II School District Board of Education also approved a 10 percent raise for non-certified staff making less than $30,000 and a flat raise of $3,000 for non-certified staff who make more than $30,000.
 

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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