The minimum wage for teachers in Missouri is now increased from $33,000 to $38,000 but there is concern about how it may impact some school districts in the long-term.
The new budget calls for the state to cover 70% of the increase and the districts to cover the other 30%.
Alton Superintendent Eric Allen says the concern is whether the state will keep that formula into the future. "There needs to be truly a long-term, well-planned approach as opposed to a one or two year, everybody feels good about this, but we know the proverbial other shoe is going to fall at some point."
Allen says rather than attracting new teachers, he believes that for districts like his in the Ozarks, the increase will help retain experienced teachers who still make less than 38 grand a year.
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