HB 2040 -- Educational Personnel Compensation

Sponsor:  Jetton

This bill changes the laws regarding various forms of
compensation and benefits for educational personnel.

MINIMUM TEACHER SALARY

Currently, the minimum teacher salary for a teacher with a
bachelor's degree is $23,000 for the 2007-2008 school year,
rising to $25,000 by school year 2009-2010.  For a teacher with a
master's degree, the minimum is $31,000 for the 2007-2008 school
year and $33,000 by school year 2009-2010.  This bill changes the
base level and the way in which the minimum salary is calculated
beginning in 2008-2009.

Using a base of $31,000 for a teacher with a bachelor's degree
who has one to three years of experience and a base of $33,000
for a teacher with a master's degree, the minimum salary will be
multiplied by the dollar value modifier of the district in which
the teacher is employed.  Experience is reflected on the schedule
in three-year brackets, and each experience level after the
initial one-to-three-year bracket will multiply the base salary,
as revised by the dollar value modifier, by a specified
percentage.  No matter where a district places a teacher on its
local salary schedule, the district must recognize all years of
experience for the minimum salary.  The state will pay the
difference between the participating district's salary schedule
and the minimum salary from the Minimum Salary Fund for Teachers
which is created for this purpose.  The minimum salary is
included in retirement calculations to determine a teacher's
final average salary.

Participating districts must not vary more than the percentage
specified in the bill from their local effort on base salary,
retirement, and health care costs.  The higher the district's
year-end operating fund balance, the less flexibility is
permitted.  A dollar-for-dollar deduction in the minimum salary
supplement for the next fiscal year will be made for districts
that exceed the permitted percentage of variance.  The bill
allows an increase in the minimum salary level when the state
cost of funding falls to 85% or less of the full funding cost for
the first year.

RETIREMENT

Retired teachers 75 years of age and older in the Public School
Retirement System of Missouri who are cost-of-living capped will
receive an additional $5 per month per year of service from
January 1, 2009, to January 1, 2014.  Non-teacher retirees
meeting the same qualifications will receive $3 per month per
year of service during the same period.

The bill contains an emergency clause.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated October 15, 2008 at 3:11 pm