Missouri ranks 50th in the nation for starting teacher pay

Missouri academics are paid a few of the lowest beginning salaries within the nation, based on a brand new overview of instructor pay from the Nationwide Training Affiliation, a academics union.

On common, beginning salaries for Missouri academics are a bit greater than $33,200. Solely Montana pays new academics much less.

Even Missouri academics with extra expertise are within the backside 5 of states for common pay; the overview discovered the common Missouri instructor wage is $51,600. That’s a lot lower than professionals with comparable ranges of training within the state, stated Mark Jones, communications director for the Missouri Nationwide Training Affiliation.

“Asking educators to sacrifice, over the course of their life, 25 or 30% of what their contemporaries may very well be making is loads to ask,” Jones stated. “It is onerous to make a case for an individual popping out of school that they need to go into training.”

Missouri additionally pays considerably lower than its neighboring states. Jones stated that is particularly problematic as a result of the St. Louis and Kansas Metropolis metro areas straddle state traces, so it’s straightforward for academics to seek out jobs throughout the border with out having to maneuver.

Illinois’ common instructor pay is sort of $20,000 greater than Missouri’s. Kansas’ is extra comparable however continues to be about $2,000 extra, and the state’s beginning pay is about $6,000 greater than Missouri’s.

“Even for the Midwest, we’re lagging behind,” Jones stated. “We’re simply not competing in the way in which we must always to get high-quality academics in our lecture rooms.”

This is a matter that politicians and state training leaders have repeatedly stated must be fastened. In January, throughout his 2022 State of the State tackle, Gov. Mike Parson stated elevating instructor pay must be a precedence.

“Missouri is at present ranked fiftieth in the US for beginning instructor pay, and half of our new academics depart the career by their fifth yr,” Parson stated. “That is unacceptable, and we should do higher.”

There are a number of efforts to lift pay statewide, together with a invoice within the legislature that might enhance beginning instructor salaries within the state to $38,000 a yr, the quantity Parson initially proposed.

The Senate handed the invoice on Tuesday, however the authentic Home model reduce this funding. Now each chambers will work to discover a compromise which will or might not embrace the increase.

Missouri’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Training has additionally created a fee to look at instructor recruitment and retention, together with pay. It consists of distinguished Missouri enterprise leaders like Maxine Clark, founding father of Construct-A-Bear Workshop, and Missouri’s 2021 instructor of the yr Darrion Cockrell from the Lindbergh Faculty District in St. Louis County.

Jones is skeptical and stated comparable efforts haven’t led to alter prior to now.

“It is irritating a bit as a result of I believe each legislative session begins with a great intent to attempt to resolve this drawback,” Jones stated. “What we actually want is to deal with the legislature’s motion fairly than one other research or fee.”

The fee is meant to launch findings about what it believes is required in an October report.

Sarah Kellogg contributed to this report. 

Observe Kate on Twitter: @Kate Grumke

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