Missouri State Board of Education Meeting Report (Aug. 16, 2022)

The goals of the commission include:

• Developing strategies that address teacher recruitment and retention.
• Providing recommendations for increasing teacher pay and improving retention.
• Addressing long-term and sustainable funding for increased teacher compensation.
• Strategies to attract students to pursue a career in education.
• Investigating the factors impacting the well-being of teachers and respect for the profession.

Below includes links to the Agenda from the August 15th virtual meeting:

• Agenda
• Educator Feedback Data
  • BRC Educator Results Survey Results
• Recorded Live Stream

The following recommendations were discussed during the virtual meeting on August 15:

• Increase Starting Teacher Salary to $38,000.
• Establish a fund to support districts in providing increased salaries (base pay and increase salaries overall).
• Salary supplements from the state for teachers who achieve National Board Certification.
• Fund two paid wellness days for each teacher.
• Fund the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program Fund.
• Funding is provided to districts based on the income level of the district’s communities (i.e. the local tax base).
• Incentivize team-based teaching models as part of their Career Ladder.
• Create sustainable funding for districts to start grow your own programs.
• Create a Teacher Recruitment and Retention Annual Report.

The Association attends all BRC Meetings and is collecting supplemental information for the Commission from our members regarding teacher recruitment and retention.

The final BRC Meeting will take place in person on September 12, 2022 – In-Person (Governor Office Building Room 450) – 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Association will be at this meeting.

Missouri School Improvement Plan 6

The Board approved the MSIP 6 Standards and Indicators in February 2020. Since that time DESE and the MSIP Advisory Committee have been working to develop the measurements and tools that will be used to make classification recommendations to the Board. During the summer, DESE released a revised draft MSIP 6 Comprehensive Guide and will hold public meetings on:

August 22, 2022 (1:30 – 3 p.m.)
Truman State Office Building, 301 West High Street, Room 490/492, Jefferson City, MO 65101
The room will open to accommodate public seating at 1:00 pm.

September 7, 2022 (1:30 – 3 p.m.)
Department of Natural Resources, 1730 East Elm Street, Bennett Springs/Roaring River Conference Room, Jefferson City, MO 65101

This pilot year of MSIP 6 will incorporate a new growth model of evaluation for districts. DESE is still developing rubrics to measure student academic performance, continuous growth by the district, and other performance indicators. A summary of the new scoring model can be found here.

DESE anticipates publishing initial MSIP 6 Annual Performance Reports (APR) in December, without growth indicator scores. Modified APR scores will be published in the Spring of 2023 that will include achievement growth targets. No district classification will be lowered, if necessary, until 2023-24 with full implementation of the program and collection of three years of data.

The Association is monitoring these decisions regarding the final draft of MSIP 6.

Career Ladder

The Board approved the notice of changes to rules surrounding guidelines for district participation in the Career Ladder Program. Major changes to this rule include:

• In the previous versions of Career Ladder, districts covered 60% of funding for Career Ladder while the State covered 40%; this is now flipped with the State covering 60% of the costs for Career Ladder while districts cover 40%.
• Teachers who have completed 2 years of teaching now may participate in Career Ladder; this is a change from having to complete 5 years before participating in Career Ladder.
  • At Stage I, the teacher shall have completed two (2) years of teaching experience in a Missouri public school(s), have completed the required beginning teacher assistance program and participated in two (2) years of mentoring (section 168.400.4 RSMo)
  • At Stage II, the teacher shall have completed three (3) years of teaching experience in a Missouri public school(s), have completed the required beginning teacher assistance program and participated in two (2) years of mentoring (section 168.400.4 RSMo)
  • At Stage III, the teacher shall have completed five (5) years of teaching experience in a Missouri public school(s), have completed the required beginning teacher assistance program and participated in two (2) years of mentoring (section 168.400.4 RSMo)

In Other Business

• The Board received a report on the history, development, and sponsorship of charter schools. Board members have requested additional reporting on charter school sponsors beyond the performance of their individual charter schools’ sites.
• The Board renewed charter school sponsorships for Kansas City Public Schools and St.  Louis University.
• The Board received an update on the Special Administrative Board of Riverview Gardens School District.
• The Board received a budget report and results of the recent audit. Several internal process improvement recommendations The Board approved the notice of changes to rules:
  • Procedures for recalculating charter schools’ foundation formula and state payments during 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. 
  • Senate Bill 681 (signed by Governor Parson and effective June 2022) requires a change to the requirements for a substitute certificate. The number of required semester hours will change from 60 hours to 36 hours.
  • Updates to eligibility requirements for participants of the childcare subsidy program
  • Revisions to Office of Adult Learning processes.