Governor Parson Signs Bill To Increase Teacher Pay Statewide

With the stroke of a pen on Tuesday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed into law two bills which, together, permanently increases the baseline pay for teachers to at least $40,000 per year among several other provisions.

The new laws also increases salaries for teachers with a master’s degree and 10-plus years experience to a minimum of $48,000 per year, increases state funding for early childhood education programs and incentivizes districts with more than 30,000 residents to have 5-day school weeks.

It also increases the small school grant funding program from 15-million to $30-million per year and protects retirement benefits for educators who continue teaching after retirement.