House bill would allow bonuses for teachers in high-demand fields

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Local school districts would be allowed to offer financial bonuses to teachers in high-demand fields such as special education, science and mathematics under legislation pending in the Missouri House of Representatives.

Current law requires districts to set salary schedules that equally compensate teachers with the same level of education and years of service, regardless of the courses they teach.

State Rep. Allen Icet, the sponsor of the bill to allow incentive pay, said local districts need the flexibility to attract and retain the best teachers in positions that are often difficult to fill.

"As a former school board member, I certainly have some empathy for school districts that are trying to hire teachers in high-demand subject areas," said Icet, R-Wildwood.

The bill has cleared the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and is awaiting debate by the full chamber.

The prospect of higher pay would also encourage more people earning their teaching degrees to specialize in subject areas for which districts are offering bonuses, Icet said.

The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District in Kansas City on Tuesday rejected one district's attempt to circumvent existing law by providing certain teachers with signing bonuses of between $1,000 and $2,000.

For the 2001-2002 school year, the Sherwood Cass School District in Cass County offered bonuses to seven teachers. Some teachers who weren't given bonuses sued, claiming that under the Missouri Teacher Tenure Act the district couldn't give select teachers extra pay for doing their basic jobs. While districts can provide additional pay for extra duties, such as coaching, the court ruled the bonuses illegal in this case because the recipients weren't subject to any extra responsibilities outside of the classroom.

Missouri School Boards' Association lobbyist Brent Ghan said the court's decision isn't surprising and that he is unaware of any other districts that pay signing bonuses. However, the association frequently fields inquiries from districts considering doing so.

"We advise districts that paying bonuses is not allowed by state statute," Ghan said. "However, our position is they ought to be allowed."

MSBA was one of several education groups that testified in favor of the bill during a committee hearing last month. Support for the measure in the education community isn't uniform, however. The Missouri National Education Association opposed it due to concerns it could spark bidding wars as districts compete for teachers in certain fields.

"We think there are legitimate reasons for providing constraints on the salary structure," said MNEA lobbyist Otto Fajen. "For districts, it is very efficient because they no what their compensation costs will be from year to year."

Fajen said there is also a concern that school administrators could use bonuses to reward favorites. The bonus system as currently proposed also emphasizes subject-matter knowledge rather than teaching ability, he said.

Since decisions to offer bonuses and for what positions would be left to individual districts, Icet concedes there is potential for abuse. For example, Icet said a district improperly could use bonuses to lure a winning sports coach from another school, a purpose that goes well beyond the intent of the bill.

"If we can get language in the bill to prevent abuse, I would be willing to do that," Icet said.

The bill is HB 539.

mpowers@semissourian.com

(573) 635-4608