Platform & Priorities 

Every fall at the Representative Assembly, Missouri NEA updates the Legislative Platform and Priorities. The Platform details the education-related issues that MNEA and its members find important. MNEA’s Legislative Priorities (found below) is a summary of the Platform. To download a full printable version of the Platform and the Priorities, click on the links to the right.

Resources State MNEA Legislative Priorities  MNEA Legislative Platform MNEA Legislative Action Center  Capitol Action Days Legislative Brunches / Dinners Legislative Updates   Federal NEA Legislative Action Center   ESEA/NCLB No Child Left Behind MNEA Government Relations Phone (573) 634-3202 DeeAnn Aull  Assistant Executive Director of Government Relations, Communications and Education Services Otto Fajen Legislative Director Mark Jones Political Director

 

Missouri's Public Schools: A Great Investment
Missouri NEA’s 2013 legislative priorities

Missouri NEA believes that every child has a basic right to attend a great public school. Missouri’s teachers are deeply committed to the success of every child. Missouri NEA’s legislative platform contains an education agenda that puts students at the center of reform. MNEA also continues to lead the fight to defeat the proposals that would harm public education.

Investing in classroom priorities
that build the foundation for student learning

Missouri NEA believes that access to an adequately and equitably funded public education must be clearly established as a fundamental right for every student.

1. The state is no longer meeting the funding requirements of its own funding law.
2. MNEA urges the legislature to commit to a plan to return to full funding of the foundation formula.
3. MNEA supports adequate and equitable funding for public higher education institutions and increased funding for student financial aid.

MNEA supports responsible tax policy to provide adequate revenue to support investment in public education and promote economic prosperity for all Missourians.

1. MNEA supports the common-sense reforms outlined by the Tax Credit Review Commission.
2. Tax credits reduce Missouri’s state revenues by more than $600 million per year.
3. MNEA also supports the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement and other common-sense revenue reforms.

MNEA opposes efforts to slash the state income tax.  
These proposals would shut down schools across the state and give big tax breaks to corporations and the richest Missourians.

Ensuring every child has a qualified,
caring and committed teacher 

Missouri NEA supports implementation of new, high quality evaluation systems for all teachers and administrators. These systems must meet the high standards of DESE’s model evaluation system.

MNEA opposes any effort to take away local control and mandate a particular weight for student test scores on a teacher’s evaluation.

MNEA believes the current due process (tenure) law should be improved by covering all employees, establishing shorter probationary periods that meet state and national norms and establishing an impartial review process for firing decisions.

MNEA opposes any effort to repeal teacher tenure, extend the lengthy probationary period or weaken due process rights in the layoff context.

MNEA also supports maintaining an excellent employee retirement system, including renewal of 25-and-Out and 2.55 percent benefit factor for 31 or more years of service.

Both of these provisions will expire at the end of this school year if the legislature does not renew them.

MNEA also supports corrective legislation to ensure that school employees are not hampered by false or malicious allegations when they seek new employment.

 

Creating an effective partnership
that holds everyone accountable for children’s success
MNEA supports collective bargaining rights for all education employees to promote school environments where educators and students can excel.

Implementing legislation should provide for exclusive recognition and good faith bargaining to reach an amicable agreement.

MNEA opposes efforts to limit school employees’ right to bargain with their employers or to participate in MNEA. One such effort is what many refer to as "Paycheck Deception," a plan that limits options for how members pay dues.

MNEA believes charter public schools should be accountable, transparent and respect the rights of students, parents and school employees.

1. MNEA urges a moratorium on the recent expansion of charter school locations and sponsors until all necessary changes are enacted to ensure charter schools meet the accountability standards applicable to district schools and those reforms have been implemented and shown to be successful.
2. MNEA also urges the legislature to eliminate the option for a district to hand over full control of a district’s education program to a charter operator.

MNEA believes that state accountability systems and intervention in districts should focus on supporting and bringing the community together to better support the schools. 

MNEA urges the legislature to repeal the automatic lapse requirement for districts unaccredited for two years.