JEFFERSON CITY, MO (KMOX) - Missouri Governor Mike Parson delivers his annual State of the State Address Wednesday afternoon, with an expectation that he will call for a permanent increase to teacher's pay. Last year, Gov. Parson pushed lawmakers to increase the minimum pay from $25,000 a year to $38,000, but it was just for one year only. With a surplus of $6-Billion in state coffers, there are calls to make the increase permanent even though it would cost $31-million per year.
In October, a Blue Ribbon Panel on teacher retention advised the Missouri Board of Education that higher pay is needed for the economic viability of the state. Panel Chair Mark Walker said teachers are making less money than bartenders and housekeepers, and difficulties getting enough teachers in the classroom will only increase. Board member Pamela Westerbrook Hodge said "applying band-aids" rather than addressing the structure of teacher pay will have the state facing the same shortage in 10 years, 20 and 30 years down the road.
Any legislation to permanently raise the pay of teachers is expected to get bipartisan support, based on comments from lawmakers as the new legislative session gets underway. However, there could be some differences between the amount of money Democrats want to commit to the goal, and how much Republicans want to spend, knowing it will be an annual expense.
Governor Parson speaks at 3 PM Wednesday, January 18, 2023 in the Missouri House Chamber. Democrats intend to deliver their response at the Capitol about an hour later.
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