Now what? MO education leaders work to raise teacher pay after commission report

A month has passed since Missouri's Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission called for higher pay and other changes to increase the number of qualified public school teachers and improve academic outcomes for students.

In a string of informational meetings that followed, including one Wednesday in Nixa, Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said she has repeatedly been asked the same question.

"We have these recommendations so the question then is 'Now what?'" Vandeven told the audience of nearly 100, which included many area superintendents and school board members, at Nixa Junior High.

"What you're hearing us say over and over again, each person that is coming forward, is that it's going to take all of us. Change cannot happen without collective action."

The commission made immediate, short-term and long-term recommendations, which were unanimously supported by the state Board of Education. In all, five addressed teacher pay, in one form or another. They include:

• Increasing starting teacher pay to at least $38,000;

• Prioritizing annual funding for the Career Ladder Program, which rewards teachers for taking on extra work;

• Establishing a fund to help districts improve teacher pay;

• Providing salary supplements to fill high need positions;

• Providing salary supplements for teachers with National Board Certification.

The four other recommendations include:

• Establishing sustainable funding for Grow Your Own programs;

• Encouraging districts to implement team-based teaching models;

• Increasing support for teacher mental health;

• Offering tuition assistance.

'Why this matters for everyone'

In mid-December, the state board will look at goals for the upcoming legislative session. Nearly all of the changes sought by the commission will require additional state funds or revisions in state law.

More:MO commission unveils plan to address urgent teacher shortage, says pay must increase

For example, the minimum salary required by state law for a teacher is just $25,000, lower than neighboring states and the rest of the U.S.

The state, in an effort to get districts to voluntarily raise the minimum to $38,000, offered to pay 70% of the cost to bridge the gap between what teachers were making and that benchmark. Districts still had to come up with the other 30% and there was no guarantee the funds will be available next year.

Vandeven said lasting change will require widespread support from taxpayers, local decision-makers and business owners.

"Our job here is to think about how do we go out to our business leaders, to our community members — we had people last night talking about going to their church groups, doing whatever we can to help elevate the importance of this call and why this matters for everyone," she said.

She said more work is needed to support the existing teachers in Missouri's public schools.

"We have to tell our story better, teachers. Our teachers are really telling us it's tough right now. We need to support our teachers, as best we can, at every level in the system," she said.

"When they tell us they need support, let's get really specific — what do we need and how can we help?"

To recruit teachers, Vandeven said outreach is needed in high schools and colleges. She said educators ought to talk about "what a beautiful, life-changing profession this really is."

"If you know someone who wants to be a teacher, let's encourage them," Vandeven siad. "I'll share that I was at dinner last week with a student, a senior in high school, who said 'I was going to be a teacher but I changed my mind.' I said 'Why did you change your mind?' and (the student said) 'Well, people talked me out of it.'"

Teachers, staff 'have waited long enough'

Bolivar Superintendent Richard Asbill, one of many school leaders at the Nixa meeting, said the commission helped amplify high priority teacher workforce issues including turnover and low pay.

"I really appreciate the commission's efforts now to expedite the process," he said.

To accomplish the goals of the commission, Asbill said schools must partner with parents and local leaders.

"In Missouri, a lot of the priorities that we're talking about depend on the legislators helping us make those changes," said Asbill, noting there is a limit to what districts can do alone. "It is going to take the state legislature to support the funding levels and changes in regard to the state minimum base before we will see that change really be effective."

Asbill added: "Our teachers in the state of Missouri as well as supportive staff have waited long enough for that to occur and we really need every region in the state to push for that change. We need legislators to understand we can't delay this."

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Asbill said the ability for schools to find qualified teachers to fill vacancies will not improve without help. He said pay and elevating the value of public education are critical to long-term success.

"In Missouri, public education is ill in these areas and now we have a prescription of saying how we treat that," he said. "If we say we only want to treat half of that, we really aren't going to get better."

Next steps after commission report

In a series of regional meetings, state education officials have presented the commission's report and explained why improving the situation for teachers, and the students they serve, has grown critical.

"Low retention rates create a high demand for new teachers each year. A smaller supply of new teachers each year mean it's difficult to fill vacancies, which is why the focus on teacher recruitment and retention," said Paul Katnik, an assistant commissioner with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The state shared the following statistics:

• Missouri's average starting pay of $33,234 was ranked No. 50 in the nation in 2021-22.

• Only 10,034 students enrolled in Missouri teacher preparation programs in 2019-20, down from 14,134 a decade earlier.

• Currently, 53% of all teachers leave the profession within five years. In 2020-21, only 55.6% of teachers remained in the profession after three years compared to 61.4% in 2015-16.

• More subject areas have a chronic shortage of fully certified teachers. The biggest gap is special education. Other areas include elementary, preschool, and science and math.

• Missouri teachers earn, on average, 28% less than people with similar backgrounds and education levels.

"In places where there are shortages, especially in particular content areas and geographic parts of the state, we now have Missouri students learning from teachers who are not appropriately certified to teach what they are teaching or we have Missouri students learning from substitute teachers," Katnik said. "In some cases, we have Missouri students who can't even take the course they want because there wasn't a teacher available."

The chair of the commission, Mark Walker, and Kurt Hellweg, both from Springfield, attended the Nixa meeting along with state board members Peter Herschend and Mary Schrag.

"My ask of you tonight is to lend your voice to these recommendations as you see them moving through the process in Missouri in the coming months, recruit others, let others know how you feel," said Walker, CEO of the Transland trucking company.

Walker said pay isn't the only challenge facing the teacher workforce and schools and communities must address "culture and climate" issues. The commission is continuing its work through part of 2023.

"That absolutely will be our next phases but we want to start with the area where we felt we could make really important strides," he said.

Talking to education officials in Nixa, Walker said he hopes more business leaders get involved. "As business folks, we are recipients of the product that you create and it is really important that we have the best talented workforce we can have in Missouri to stay competitive."

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Now what? MO education leaders work to raise teacher pay after report