Mo. House panel scraps raising teacher salary in favor of bonuses

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A House committee abandoned a proposal to boost minimum teachers' salaries Wednesday in favor of tens of millions of dollars of bonuses for teachers based on student performance, longevity and a willingness to work in poor districts.

The dramatically reshaped teacher incentives drew opposition from Missouri's leading teacher associations, which have been at odds over the best way to raise the state's nationally lagging teachers' salaries.

Although its prospects remain uncertain, the legislation offering recruitment, retention and merit-based bonuses to certain teachers may ultimately stand a better chance of passing than his original proposal to subsidize teachers salaries in low-paying districts, House Speaker Rod Jetton said.

"My goal is to get more money into our teachers pockets," said Jetton, R-Marble Hill. "I would be happy to increase the minimum pay" if there were enough votes to pass that in the House and Senate. "I'm happy to do bonuses. I'm open-minded to what we need to do to help teachers."

The 6-1 vote by the House Student Achievement Committee advances the bill a step closer to House debate. If passed there, it would go to the Senate.

A report released in December by the National Education Association ranked Missouri's average salary of $40,462 for public school teachers as 42nd nationally during the 2005-2006 school year.

Jetton has made higher teacher pay one of the session's priorities. His bill was originally modeled on a proposal by the Missouri State Teachers Association to raise the minimum starting teachers' salary to $31,000 next school year, up from $24,000, and to establish the state's first minimum salaries for more experienced teachers.

But that plan was opposed by the Missouri National Education Association, a teachers' union that prefers to negotiate salaries on a district-by-district basis.

After his original plan encountered opposition, Jetton embraced a bonus proposal by Rep. Jason Holsman, D-Kansas City, a former high school social studies teacher and member of the American Federation of Teachers.

But Holsman also was frustrated Wednesday, accusing the House committee of "hijacking" his proposal by removing a provision that could have provided performance bonuses to every teacher and administrator in a school, as opposed to only select individuals.

The bill endorsed by the panel would provide several categories of teacher incentives:

-- A merit-pay bonus equal to between 5 percent and 10 percent of the teachers' salaries, based on the performance of their students, their subject matter expertise, teaching practices and leadership. The merit bonuses would be available only to the top 20 percent of teachers in a school district. They would begin in the 2010 fiscal year and cost the state up to $20 million annually.

-- A one-time, $2,500 bonus for every teacher with at least 20 years of experience in Missouri earning a salary of $50,000 or less. The longevity reward is estimated to cost $21 million next year.

-- A signing bonus of $2,500 for most teachers and $5,000 for math and science teachers hired after Aug. 28 by school districts that lack full state accreditation or are financially poor because low property values have held down their tax revenue. That proposal is estimated to cost almost $3 million annually.

-- A $2,500 retention bonus after a teacher remains for five years at a district that is financially poor and without full accreditation, plus an additional $2,500 after serving there for 10 years. The retention bonuses are estimated to cost almost $18 million annually.

-- A $2,500 accreditation bonus for every teacher on staff earning up to $50,000 annually when a school district that previously lacked full state accreditation gains it. That's estimated to cost $4 million a year.

The House committee also amended into the teacher pay legislation several other education proposals, including a controversial idea to provide state tax credits so that parents of special-needs children could send them to private or other public schools instead of their local public schools.

Committee Chairman Scott Muschany, R-St. Louis, said the simplest approach would have been to raise minimum teacher salaries with state subsidies. But like Jetton, he said he believes the bonus approach has a better chance of passage

However, the Missouri State Teachers Association opposes the revised bill and may look for other avenues to resurrect its proposal to raise minimum teachers' salaries, said lobbyist Mike Wood.

Otto Fajen, a lobbyist for the Missouri NEA, said that group also has concerns about the revised bill. Whether the state offers subsidies for higher salaries or bonuses, either proposal would essentially amount to a second funding formula for schools, separate from the state's existing method of distributing basic aid. In tight budget years, that could creating competing demands for state money, Fajen said.

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Teacher pay bill is HB2040.

On the Net:

Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov