The pandemic and its aftermath have taken a terrible toll on the teaching profession across the country, and Missouri is no exception to the rule. That’s why the state last year set up a Blue Ribbon Commission to figure out how to attract and retain teachers. The commission meets again this week in its quest to figure out how to create a better climate and culture for the state’s educators.
It’s a worthy goal. Our recommendation: more carrots, fewer sticks.
Missouri teachers could certainly use a few carrots. It’s long been known that the state’s teacher salaries are among the lowest in the nation. “Missouri educators feel undervalued and under-supported,” the commission reported in a “Key Takeaways” document from its May meeting. Part of the problem is pay: “The rising cost of inflation hinders their ability to pay for daily living expenses.”
