2012 MSTA LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

STATE ISSUES

Educators on State Board of Education

There are no practicing educators on the State Board of Education (SBOE). Considering that SBOE makes decisions that impact Missouri's teachers and students, it would be appropriate to include immediate input from educators.

The board has eight members, with no more than four from the same political party, serving eight-year terms.

MSTA supports a plan to change the makeup of the SBOE to include an active classroom teacher, principal and superintendent.

MSTA also supports changing the length of terms for all SBOE members. Our plan would shorten the terms for the lay members to four years with one reappointment possible. Practicing educators would be limited to one four-year term.

Teacher evaluations/improvement plans

Effective professional development should include a quality performance-based teacher evaluation (PBTE) that is based upon locally developed standards. Standards should be communicated to staff through the PBTE process. Teachers who do not meet the standards should be placed on an improvement plan. An improvement plan should be based upon the standards that have been communicated as part of the PBTE, and have clearly stated objectives.

The proposed legislation would establish state policy on quality PBTEs and improvement plans.

Funding

Cuts have been made throughout the state budget, and many have included important education programs. MSTA wants to see a defined process that would reinstate funds to important programs such as Career Ladder, gifted education, Parents as Teachers and transportation.

Innovative programs

MSTA believes the best education decisions are made at the local level. State policies should allow for approved pilot programs, and individual student results should not count against school district accreditation at the local or state levels. Local districts are reluctant to implement innovative programs because of the negative effects they could have on the districtsÕ standing with the state and federal government.

Tax-credit reform

Because the budget for the state of Missouri currently does not adequately fund vital state services, it is time for the Missouri General Assembly to reform tax credits.

Tax credits lower the tax liability for individuals and corporations, and as such reduce the amount of revenue that the state collects. Tax credits are a multi-million dollar business.

The state issues tax credits for a number of reasons. Most tax credits are designed to encourage a business to create jobs, thereby increasing the taxes that the state collects. The state has too many tax-credit programs that do not offer the state a sufficient return on its investment.

MSTA participated in the Governor's Tax Credit Review Commission and supports the recommendations that came from the work of this commission.

MSTA OPPOSES

MSTA opposes any proposal to eliminate or weaken the teacher tenure law.

MSTA opposes school vouchers or education tax credits that would divert public money to pay for private school tuition.

MSTA opposes merit pay, including the use of standardized test scores or other subjective criteria as a measurement of teacher performance, or to determine salary increases.

FEDERAL ISSUES

Retirement and Social Security benefits

MSTA opposes any state or federal proposal to group the teachers' retirement system funds with Social Security. In addition, the association opposes provisions that deprive teachers of their earned benefits accrued by participation in the Social Security system, including the offset provision and the windfall benefits law.

Federal influence in education

MSTA opposes federal supercession, including No Child Left Behind, over state and local responsibility for public education, including assessments that set standards and drive curriculum.

MSTA supports requiring that increases in federal dollars be delivered to the local school district whenever possible and should be focused on distributing federal dollars back to the classroom.

MSTA supports allowing states flexibility in designing accountability systems that go beyond scores on statewide assessments.