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Differentiated pay legislation draws bi-partisan support
This week the House Committee on Government Efficiency and Downsizing heard HB1648, sponsored by Rep. John Black (R-Webster Co.), which allows state agencies and political subdivisions to provide yearly pre-approved pay incentives of up to 20% of the base salary for the purpose of retaining employees, and codifies the differentiated pay scale in public schools to allow school district boards to approve salaries outside of the regular scale for hard to staff or hard to fill positions on an annual basis.
The differentiated pay portion is a priority bill of Aligned. This language provides school districts with a tool to address systemic teacher shortages and inappropriately credentialed staff
"School districts feel locked into that schedule where they can only pay teachers based on years of experience and level of education, not taking into consideration any other possible needs that they may have," said Stacey Preis, testifying on behalf of Aligned. "Giving school leaders the flexibility to respond to what their particular individual labor market in their district needs, we think is a good thing."
Representative Gretchen Bangert (D-St. Louis) shared that her daughter teaches in a rural school where the district struggles to retain math teachers. "They'll get a math teacher in the rural area and then they're gone (to a wealthier district)," she explained. "Now they have student teachers teaching math without an experienced teacher in the classroom. And if this bill can help recruit and retain teachers, I am very much in favor of it."
Aligned testified in support while two unions testified in opposition.
Committees tackle the tough issues early
Committee in the House and Senate wasted no time getting into the edgier education bills this week.
Open Enrollment
On Wednesday the House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee heard HB1989, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt (R-Pettis Co), which creates voluntary transfer and enrollment protocols for nonresident pupils in public school districts. Open Enrollment is the first bill considered this year by House Education Committee.
Aligned, the Quality Schools Coalition, YES Every Kid, American Federation for Children, and the Missouri Century Foundation provided supporting testimony and several school districts and teacher's unions opposed the bill.
Tax Credits for Educational Expenses
On Wednesday the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee heard SB729, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Koenig (R-St. Louis Co.), which establishes a tax credit for educational expenses incurred by families whose qualified children attend school outside of a traditional resident school district, such as a homeschool, virtual or a private school, up to an amount equivalent to the state adequacy target.
Educational expenses include tuition; textbooks; educational or occupational therapies provided by a licensed or accredited practitioner; tutoring; specialized curriculum or curriculum aides; fees for completion of standardized achievement tests or preparation courses; fees associated with participation in academic extracurricular programs; fees for summer school or after-school educational programs; and mileage or transportation reimbursement for participation in educational activities provided through a home school or private school.
Student Performance and School Accreditation
On Wednesday the Senate Education Committee also heard SB804, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Trent (R-Greene Co), which modifies the state's accreditation and performance measurement standards for public elementary and secondary schools. The proposal regulates the calculation of student growth to emphasize student performance on statewide assessments in the current academic year compared to their performance in prior years and weighed against the performance growth of peers within the school.
Additionally, beginning with the 2026-27 school year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be directed to develop an annual performance rating for secondary schools, which is calculated using a methodology that includes a combination of student attainment of college and career readiness credentials (including college or employment statistics, completion of AP coursework, and graduation statistics) and a measurement of cumulative student growth year over year.
Budget News
This week was relatively quiet on the budget front. The House Sub-Committee on Appropriations-General Administration canceled its meeting due to the inclement weather, postponing it to next Wednesday. The Office of the Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General have yet to present their FY24 Supplemental requests or FY25 budget requests, and the committee will also need to hear from the Judiciary and Public Defenders Office.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has also posted a hearing for next Wednesday to focus on policy issues rather than receiving testimony from the various departments regarding their FY25 budget requests. The committee will hear SB 748 (Hough), which is the renewal of the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA) taxes.
These taxes comprise $4.4 billion of the state budget and are critical to funding the state’s Medicaid program. Lawmakers must renew this tax every three years. If the Missouri General Assembly fails to pass the FRA, the state will face a $1.5 billion shortfall.
State Budget Director Dan Haug announced that net general revenue collections for December 2023 grew 0.6% compared to those for December 2022, from $1.08 billion last year to $1.09 billion this year. Net general revenue collections for 2024 fiscal year-to-date decreased 1.7% compared to December 2022, from $6.24 billion last year to $6.13 billion this year
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