Notes from Feb. 8, 2022 meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education-Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Board hears Riverview Gardens quarterly report
Acting Superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams and Special Administrative Board President Veronica Morrow-Reel presented a realistic quarterly report. Dr. Pruitt-Adams is the third superintendent this school year, and she has worked to understand current conditions to chart a path forward. These efforts included surveying staff, parents, and community members. Student performance metrics remain low. The district increased substitute pay from $150 to $200 per day and provides them professional development opportunities. Pay for bus drivers was also increased. Two additional members to the SAB will be elected in April, following the state board’s plan to transition Riverview Gardens back to a local elected school board.
Board recommendations for Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission
The board will appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission that includes members of the general assembly and representatives from the private sector to make recommendations to the state board and the Missouri General Assembly to address teacher recruitment and retention. The seventeen-member commission will consist of business leaders, legislators, board members, a school leader, two educators, and members of the Governor’s staff and DESE staff.
Commission priorities set by the state board include raising the minimum teacher salary to $35,000 and studying alternatives to the traditional salary schedule that would include incentive pay, pay for performance, differential pay, and modifications to tenure. Strategies for sustainable funding for increased teacher compensation and investigating the climate and culture inside and outside the classroom impacting educators are also priorities. The commission is tasked with presenting recommendations to the state board by October 1 of 2022.
Missouri NEA has positions on both alternative pay and tenure. Tenure needs to be improved to include appeal to an independent agent, not the same board who made the original decision. Alternative pay structures must be open to all educators, fully funded, and bargained with the educators through their union.
Governor Parson’s 2023 Budget recommendations and supplemental budget bills
In his state of the state address, Governor Parson recommended funding the following new initiatives that impact DESE’s budget submission:
- Distribution of higher than forecasted Prop C sales tax funds
- Use of lottery funds to increase minimum teacher salary from $25,000 to $38,000 (30% matching funds required by districts)
- New federal funding to address school nutrition supply chain issues
- Expansion of assistive technology devices to help individuals remain in their homes
- Funding an Operational Excellence Coordinator
- Modest fund increase to support the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage program (Medicaid allowed services)
The Governor’s supplemental recommendations to the current budget include adjustments to the foundation formula, school nutrition services, and charter school closure refunds. His recommendations did not include additional funds for transportation. The budget committee also heard requests for the distribution of a variety of COVID-related relief fund sources. The House Budget Committee has recommended re-purposing some line-items. The budget that is moving forward includes the relief funds for school districts. Follow MNEA’s Legislative Update for more information.
Board approves three career education certificates
After the close of the public comment period, updates to two career education certificates and one totally new one were approved. Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management is a new technical science certificate. Cartography certificate is now Geographic Information Science and Cartography. Law Enforcement/Police Science is now Criminal Justice Technology. These changes apply to both the secondary certificate and the adult certificates.
Board approves updates to programs for gifted children
Rule changes include updates to terminology and adding the word “equitable” to describe the process of identification and selection of gifted students. Changes were also made to the department Gifted Education Program Guidelines, which are incorporated in the rule by reference. The revisions were made based on the comments received from the five-year rule review. The Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children provided feedback and guidance on the Gifted Education Program Guidelines, and two public comments in support of the changes were received.
Board hears 20th Covid update
DESE staff reported 124 school districts closed for one or more days in January 2022 due to staffing shortages. Staffing issues as well as winter weather closures are impacting the districts’ use of AMI (alternative methods of instruction) days. Rapid antigen tests continue to be unavailable.
In other business of the board:
- Approved updates to clarify procedures for hearings regarding the discipline of teaching certificates.
- Renewed the charter of Confluence Academies, sponsored by the University of Missouri.
- Discussed the ongoing work of the Marketing/Communication and Strategic Planning Board subcommittees.
- Rescinded the rules for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. The program is no longer funded.
- Approved revisions to the ESEA Administrative Manual to include guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.
- Recognized Ann Jarrett, MNEA Teaching and Learning Director, for her upcoming retirement. Commissioner VanDeven thanked Jarrett for being a valued partner of the department. Jarrett retires from Missouri NEA in mid-March.
The next meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education will be on March 8, 2022. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Rebeka McIntosh or Ann Jarrett at 800-392-0236. Details of state board agenda items can be found here.
Respectfully submitted,
Rebeka McIntosh, MNEA vice president (rebeka.mcintosh@mnea.org)
Ann Jarrett, MNEA teaching and learning director (ann.jarrett@mnea.org)