Articles in this issue
MSTA Action – May 15, 2020
Unprecedented legislative session ends Each legislative session is unique for a number of reasons, but the second session of the 100th General Assembly will go down in the history books. With a State of Emergency due to coronavirus declared by Gov. Mike Parson, the legislature met sparingly between March 12 and April 27. The House and Senate did meet for a short time on April 7 and 8 to approve the supplemental budget for the 2020 fiscal year. The supplemental budget was necessary to pass in order to give the state agencies the authority to spend federal money associated with fighting the coronavirus. With a constitutional deadline for passing a budget of May 8, the legislative leaders [...]
MSTA Action – May 8,2020
Last call to support Melinda Moss and Darren Farmer in PSRS/PEERS election Voting closes today (May 8) at 5 p.m., in the important election for new Board of Trustee members for the Public School & Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri. Missouri’s largest public education associations are supporting Darren Farmer and Melinda Moss in their campaigns. Both Darren Farmer and Melinda Moss are recommended candidates by the Missouri State Teachers Association, the Missouri NEA, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, Missouri Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association, and the Missouri Association for Career and Technical Education. Your vote is important to ensure that teachers and women continue [...]
Adapting to COVID-19 School Closures
The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed the way educators across the world teach and care for their students. In Missouri, factors like food insecurity and lack of online resources or at-home assistance, weighed heavily on educators. MSTA surveyed members March 31-April 15 about the impact of the response to COVID-19 to their students, schools and communities. Of the 3,440 educators who responded, 79 percent were classroom teachers, with responses also coming from paraprofessionals, administrators, administrative assistants, library/media specialists, interventionalists and instructional coaches. We sincerely appreciate all those who took time to respond to our survey during this unprecedented time. Remote learning impact [...]
MSTA Action – May 1, 2020
Support Melinda Moss and Darren Farmer in PSRS/PEERS election Voting is currently underway in the important election for new Board of Trustee members for the Public School & Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri. Missouri’s largest public education associations are supporting Darren Farmer and Melinda Moss in their campaigns. Both Darren Farmer and Melinda Moss are recommended candidates by the Missouri State Teachers Association, the Missouri NEA, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, Missouri Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association, and the Missouri Association for Career and Technical Education. Your vote is important to ensure that teachers and women continue to have a voice [...]
Mrs. B sees some ways to look at the positive sides of COVID-19!
Dr. Anne N. Billington, McMillan Early Learning Center, Mexico At times, especially recently, much of the news has been all gloom and doom. Unfortunately, it can be hard for even the most optimistic people to stay positive. Yes, it’s very true that we all need to take this virus seriously. It’s capable of causing severe illness, death, and devastating long-term changes to how we live and work. It’s easy to stay focused on the negative news throughout the world. As an educator, I want to reassure our students that life will eventually be “normal” again. Yes, there are many things we all must [...]
MSTA Action – April 24, 2020
Your Retirement, Your Voice Ballots have been mailed to all PSRS/PEERS members for the election for two positions on the Public School & Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri Board of Trustees. Missouri’s largest public education associations, Missouri State Teachers Association, Missouri National Education Association and the Missouri Association of School Administrators, have endorsed two highly qualified candidates – Dr. Melinda Moss and Darren Farmer – that will speak for all members of the system. At a time when public education faces efforts to divide educators, MSTA, MNEA and MASA recognize that public education has the strongest voice when we all work together. While the Missouri Retired [...]
