Legislative Platform

2023-2024 Legislative Agenda

The Missouri K-8 Association represents 71 schools across rural Missouri. The Association’s purpose is to provide a quality education to those students with the necessary resources to become successful and productive members of society. The Missouri K-8 Association supports academic success by working with other organizations communicating the needs of education and by making our voices heard. 

The Missouri K-8 Association Supports the following:

1. The Missouri K-8 Association fully supports the continuation of full funding of the Foundation Formula, by the legislature making education a priority.

2. The Association supports continuation of increased funding in the areas of early childhood, school safety, small schools grant, technology, and curriculum/evaluation funding.

3. The Association supports full funding of transportation to continue.

4. The Association supports helping students in special circumstances who are away from the district by increasing the amount in the education placement fund.

5. The Association supports work toward fair and equitable tuition rates for schools.

6. The Association will support work toward continued flexibility of educational funding.

7. The Association supports efforts to increase educator’s salaries across the state of Missouri. Educators salaries must increase to keep teachers in our classrooms.   The Association and Missouri will work to maintain highly qualified educators during a growing teacher shortage in the field of education.

8. The Association supports efforts to fund mental health programs for our districts through funding of regular school counselors and a sharing of rural counselors to help with mental health needs.

9. The Association supports continuation of the independent governing structure of the PSRS/PEERS retirement system and maintaining its funding at current levels.

10. The Association supports continued hold-harmless funding across the state.

The Missouri K-8 Association Opposes the following:

1. The Association feels any attempt to force consolidation should be left to the local board and the community in the district.

2. The Association feels that all mandated programs should be funded before implementation.

3. The Association does not support further expansion of charter schools until they are held accountable as public schools.

4. The Association does not support further expansion of tax credit scholarships or voucher programs.

5. The Association opposes public funds being used in private or parochial education.

6. The Association cannot support open enrollment where families do not pay property taxes.

7. The Association opposes basing salaries, layoffs, jobs, and tenure based solely on evaluations.

8. The Association is opposed to reducing the probationary period for teachers.

9. The Association is opposed to replacing the Missouri income tax with a sales tax.

10. The Association is opposed to cutting personal property taxes without thought of replacement money for schools and other.

The Missouri K-8 Association believes working with organizations in the School Administrators Coalition will provide greater opportunities for our voices to be heard in the legislature.  The main focus of the SAC group is to support the needs of all educators and to provide each child a free and appropriate education in Missouri.

Approved:
October 20, 2023