Missouri – On Thursday, April 18, 2024, the Missouri General Assembly passed Senate Bill 727. The minimum number of House votes needed to pass the bill was 82, and it passed by a vote of 82-69. The final decision on whether to approve the bill will be made by Gov. Mike Parson. This is the second bill to pass both houses of Congress this Congress.
Senate Bill 727 was created to seek to change Missouri's education system through several important measures. The key points of this bill are:
- Expand access to private schools by increasing your income level to qualify for MOScholars education scholarships.
- Authorizes Boone County to open charter schools.
- The minimum salary law for teachers would increase from $25,000 to $40,000 annually, with an additional $1,000 added each year until the minimum is $48,000 in the 2027-28 school year.
- The measure would raise the minimum wage for teachers with at least 10 years of experience and a master's degree from $33,000 to $46,000 a year.
- It would limit school days to four days a week and give some incentives to districts that hold classes five days a week.
- Increase the number of teacher recruitment and retention scholarships.
- Changes to the way state funding for schools is calculated by including enrollment and days of attendance in the education funding formula.
The bill's price tag is estimated at more than $400 million.
To read the full text of Senate Bill 727, click here.
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