HCS SCS SB 994 -- EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL

SPONSOR:  Crowell (Wallace)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Special Committee on
General Laws by a vote of 5 to 0.

This substitute requires the Public School Retirement System of
Missouri when calculating a member's final average salary to
disregard any increase in compensation in excess of 10% from one
year to the next in the final average salary period for the
superintendent of schools or other certified central office
personnel of a school district or 20% for any other member.

School boards must provide an annual financial statement to the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education containing the
names, total compensation packages, and any expenses paid to or
on behalf of the school districts' superintendents, assistant
superintendents, or any consultant hired for administrative
duties.

The substitute contains an emergency clause.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds in FY 2009, FY 2010, and
FY 2011.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill is necessary to correct
the current issue which limits an increase from being included in
the calculation of the final average salary period for retirement
benefits.  Currently, members of the retirement system who are
retiring are being penalized for certain salary increases.  The
bill incorporates the intent of Senate Bill 406 passed in 2007
which was enacted to keep only superintendents and other central
office staff from increasing their pay to benefit their
retirement.

Testifying for the bill were Senator Crowell; Missouri State
Teachers Association; and Missouri National Education
Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

OTHERS:  Others testifying on the bill say it treats different
classes of certificated workers in public school systems
differently and could pose a constitutional problem.  There is no
provision in the bill that defines the terms "certified central
office personnel" and could raise an issue as to whether any
administrative staff working outside a school district's central
office are eligible for the increase.

Testifying on the bill was Public School Retirement System of
Missouri.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated October 15, 2008 at 3:13 pm