Voters to decide on school district levy for higher teacher wages
By Jazmine Knight
As the Aug. 6 election approaches, voters will have to choose whether they are in favor of the school district proposition that would increase salaries for all school district staff by roughly $2,700.
The goal of Proposition S is to increase retention and recruitment among teachers in response to the nationwide teacher shortage. Additionally, Missouri sits near the bottom when it comes to compensation for teachers.
“There are districts that I know are smaller than St. Joseph, making more money, like Smithville, they’re making their starting salaries $40,600,” said Todd Fuller, spokesperson for the Missouri State Teacher Association.
Without competitive salaries, teachers could leave to pursue jobs in nearby districts or other jobs altogether. Fuller says the issue isn’t necessarily retaining teachers but instead getting experienced teachers to stay in the profession.
“A lot of those individuals have decided to move on to other professions where they’re making more money, with a lot less regulations,” Fuller said. “Those are individuals that are not in their second or third year of teaching. Those are individuals in their 10th, 11th and 12th year of teaching.”
Fuller said he believes that without Proposition S, teachers will avoid the St. Joseph School District to teach elsewhere with better benefits and incentives.
If approved, the $0.59 levy increase per $100 assessed value would raise salaries by almost $2,700, which would be a flat-rate increase across the district.
Some residents are concerned with the higher taxes if Proposition S is approved. For a $100,000 home, taxes will increase by roughly $9. For a $200,000 home, taxes will increase by $18.
While it is still a concern, Fuller said Prop S is the key to having quality public education.
“Right now we’re seeing a number of teachers that will tell us, say, mid-semester, ‘Hey, listen, you know what? I am going to take another job,’” he said. “A district would say, well, ‘If you do that, we’re going to go after your certification.’”
However, in light of the low salaries, more and more teachers are saying they don’t care about having their certification revoked because they don’t wish to continue teaching in the future.
“We have new teachers coming in. We have retired teachers coming back to the profession to fill the gaps,” Fuller said. And then we have our experienced teachers that are leaving the profession and looking and obtaining other jobs outside of education.”
Fuller even said how one’s background in teaching can make them more appealing to a job recruiter because they are perceived as good, quality workers.
Ultimately, the decision lies in the hands of voters. Fuller encourages residents to vote yes on Proposition S.
“Without having those quality teachers, then the individuals that struggle, that see the ramification of that are going to be our students,” he said.
