Missouri State Board of Education Meeting Report (Oct. 18, 2022)

state board

Notes from the Oct. 18, 2022 meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Agenda, Minutes, and Recordings from October 18, 2022, of the Missouri State Board of Education, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

State Board Resolution in honor of Christina Andrade Melly, Missouri 2023 Teacher of the Year 

Christina Melly, Ritenour NEA, has been selected as Missouri’s 2023 Teacher of the Year and becomes Missouri’s candidate for the 2023 National Teacher of the Year program.  Christina has taught English at Ritenour High School for 11 years, serving as a mentor teacher, coaching speech and debate, chairing the English department, and serving as president of Ritenour NEA.  She was honored at the Teacher of the Year Banquet on October 17 in Jefferson City.   

Consideration of Blue Ribbon Commission Recommendations 

The goals of the Blue Ribbon 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.

The final recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission were presented to the State Board in this final report:

Immediate Priorities 
  • Increase the starting teacher salary 
    • “The Commission recommends that the legislature amend Missouri Statute 163.172 to raise the minimum starting teacher salary to at least $38,000 and to require an annual review by the joint Committee on Education to ensure teacher salaries remain appropriate and competitive. The Commission also recommends continued funding to support the Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Program.”
  • Prioritize Annual Funding of the Career Ladder Program
    • “The Commission recommends that the legislature prioritize an annual  appropriation to fund the Career Ladder Program and that funding is provided to districts based on the income level of the communities served by that district’s schools (i.e., the local tax base).”
  • Establish Sustainable Funding for Grow Your Own Programs
    • “The Commission recommends that the legislature expand on the 2021 grants provided by relief funds to establish sustainable state funding to a grant program for local education agency (LEA) Grow Your Own programs geared towards paraprofessionals/adults and/or middle and high school career technical education (CTE) programs.”
  • Encourage LEAs to Implement Team-Based Teaching Models
    • “The Commission recommends that the Department and the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) work with LEAs to encourage the use of the Innovation Waivers established in Senate Bill 681 towards implementing a team-based teaching model (i.e. Opportunity Culture, Next Education Workforce, etc.)”
Short-Term Priorities
  • Establish a fund to support LEAs in Providing Increased Salaries
    • “The Commission Recommends the legislature establish a state fund to support LEAs in paying for both the increased minimum starting salary and for more competitive salaries overall.”
  • Increase Support for Teacher Mental Health
    • “The Commission recommends that the Department  partner with the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA), the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA), and the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA) to assist LEAs in providing proper overall mental wellness resources and support to teachers, school leaders, and non-instructional staff.”
  • Tuition Assistance
    • “The Commission recommends that the state fully fund the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program Fund established in Missouri Statute 173.232 with slight adjustments.”
Long-Term Priorities 
  • Salary Supplements for Filling High-Need Positions
    • “The  Commission recommends that the State Board work with stakeholders to explore an amendment of the four articles of the Missouri Constitution and the provisions of the Missouri Teacher Tenure Act that are currently preventing the state from providing salary supplements and bonuses to teachers.”
  • Salary Supplements for Teachers with National Board Certification
    • “The Commission recommends that the legislature provide partial funding for teachers to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards and establish salary supplements for teachers who have been certified for at least three years.”

Next steps for the Blue Ribbon Commission include hosting Public Engagement Meetings in one of each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts. The goal of these meetings is to spread the word about teacher retention and recruitment challenges in our state, share the recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission (listed above), and seek buy-in from all Missourians to support efforts to address the crisis. Here is the meeting series flyer.

All meetings will take place from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the following locations:

  • COMPLETED: October 24: Knob Noster Middle School cafeteria, 211 East Wimer Street, Knob Noster
  • COMPLETED: October 25: Jefferson City Schools, Dix Road Education Center, 204 Dix Road, Jefferson City
  • November 7: Maplewood Richmond Heights, High School Auditorium, 7500 Lohmeyer Avenue, Maplewood
  • November 9: Osage Trail Middle School Cafeteria, 2101 N. Twyman Road, Independence
  • November 10: Chillicothe High School, Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center, 2801 Hornet Road, Chillicothe
  • November 15: Parkway Welcome Center, 760 Woods Mill Road, Ballwin
  • November 16: Nixa Junior High, 205 North St., Nixa
  • November 17: Kay Porter Theatre, 1302 Victory Lane, Poplar Bluff

Missouri NEA encourages all educators to attend the public forum meetings to provide input along with your pragmatic perspective on these recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission.

Report on the education of gifted and talented children 

The Board received a report from the Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children related to recent projects completed. The Council has drafted guidance for small/rural schools, published an introduction to gifted education for the Virtual Learning Platform, and assisted in the creation of the portrait of a gifted learner and Missouri gifted learner outcomes. The Council is continuing research on the efficacy of gifted programs in Missouri by analyzing student group data. More than 8,000 of the approximate 30,000 identified gifted students are not served by state-approved gifted programs. The Council is also developing guidance in response to Senate Bill 681 requirements for expansion of gifted education.   

In other business:

The Board appointed the following MNEA members to the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators (MACCE):  Paul Aubrey (North Kansas City NEA), Lisa Baldwin (North Kansas City NEA), Francine Hill (Francis Howell NEA), Cary Sikes (Springfield NEA), and Alexander Tai (Columbia MNEA).   

The Board approved the continued transition of the Normandy Schools Collaborative by setting a final term of office for the current Joint Executive Governing Board members that will expire on June 20, 2023. They also allowed for the placement of three members to serve on the JEGB by local election in April 2023. Candidate filing will open on December 6.   

The Board approved the continued transition of the Riverview Gardens School Board by setting a final term of office for the current Special Administrative Board members to expire on June 20, 2023 and allowed for the placement of three members to serve on the SAB by local election in April 2023. Candidate filing will open on December 6. 

The Board approved the following changes to rules: 

The Board adopted the career ladder plan for State Board-operated programs: Missouri School for the Blind, Missouri School for the Deaf, and Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled.  

The next meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education will be held on December 13, 2022. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Samantha Hayes or Rebeka McIntosh at 800-392-0236 or email: Samantha.Hayes@mnea.org or Rebeka.McIntosh@mnea.org. Details of state board agenda items can be found here.  

 

Respectfully submitted,
Rebeka McIntosh, MNEA vice president
Samantha Hayes, MNEA teaching and learning director