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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.

Missouri’s Public Schools - A Great Investment

Missouri NEA believes public schools are a great investment.

1. Investing in public education helps students succeed in life and creates the trained workforce employers need to succeed in a global market.
2. Investment in public schools helps support local economies.

MNEA supports revisions to create an adequate and equitable school funding formula.

1. The current formula will not provide adequate funding to meet the needs of Missouri’s students.
2. The formula base-level funding and student-need weighting factors should be raised to research-based adequacy figures.
3. Local property assessments should be accurate and uniform across the state.
4. Local property taxes should be deducted at a level all districts can reach.

MNEA supports adequate and equitable funding for public higher education institutions and increased funding for student financial aid.

MNEA supports tax reform to provide fair and adequate taxation that supports investment in public education and promotes economic prosperity for all Missourians.

1. Tax cuts and tax limitations have reduced the state’s ability to invest the common wealth or the common good.
2. Improved corporate tax accountability will ensure that tax incentives are used responsibly.

Collective Bargaining

MNEA supports collective bargaining rights for all education employees to promote school environments where educators and

students can excel.

1. Teachers and other employees are better able to ensure they have adequate resources in schools and classrooms when they have an equal voice in establishing their working conditions through collective bargaining.
2. A 2007 Missouri Supreme Court ruling grants bargaining rights to all public employees in Missouri.
3. Implementing legislation should provide for exclusive recognition, good faith bargaining, proper ratification of binding agreements and a fair process for resolving grievances and settling impasse.

MNEA opposes efforts to limit school employees’ right to bargain with their employers.

Tax-Credit Vouchers

MNEA supports proven school improvement strategies to help ensure great public schools for every child.

1. All schools need the tools and resources and proven strategies to help children succeed in school.
2. Tax-credit private school vouchers leave too many children behind.
3. Taxpayers want to improve schools, not create another bureaucracy.

MNEA opposes tax-credit vouchers.

Teaching Standards

MNEA supports high standards for all teachers and opposes efforts to lower teaching standards.

1. Every child deserves a well prepared, caring teacher.
2. Missouri should adopt rigorous teaching standards that serve as a basis for mentoring programs and professional development.

Stronger Accountability

MNEA supports accountability that fosters confidence and investment in public education and promotes economic prosperity for all Missourians.

1. Missouri should establish open access to all school employees’ salary information, all adopted salary schedules, all extra-duty compensation, all employee benefits, school calendars, district budgets and local school board policies.
2. The legislature should be held accountable for making Missouri’s taxes fair for all taxpayers and adequate to meet Missouri’s needs for K-12 and higher education and other vital services.

Salaries and So-Called “Performance Pay”

MNEA supports adequate salaries to recruit and retain the high quality teachers and other school personnel Missouri students need to be successful.

MNEA supports adequate funding for districts and local control of salary schedules through collective bargaining.

MNEA opposes mandatory performance pay and repeal of the salary schedule law.

1. Performance pay based on student test scores is a proven failure and does nothing to promote school improvement or support effective school leadership.
2. Pay for test scores leads to perceived subjectivity of the compensation process.
3. Performance pay based on student test scores sacrifices the supportive environment of teacher mentoring and collaboration and creates stronger incentives to teach to standardized tests.

Due Process

MNEA supports substantive due process for all education employees.

1. Real due process protects education employees from potentially arbitrary and capricious hiring and firing decisions.
2. Due process ensures a fair hearing on an employee’s employment status made by an impartial hearing officer.