HB 1041 -- Teachers and School Personnel

Sponsor:  Cunningham (86)

This bill requires successor school districts to ensure access to
continuation of health care for retired teachers and employees of
a district that lapses, is merged or divided, or otherwise loses
its corporate structure, if the original district provided health
care benefits at the time of its dissolution.

The bill adds an option for teachers whose certification
originates with the American Board for Certification of Teacher
Excellence and permits the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education, at its own discretion, to recognize certificates from
other federally approved teacher certification organizations.

The bill also permits districts to offer hiring incentives and
salary schedule modifications under certain circumstances.
School districts are given the ability to suspend for one year
the statutory force-reduction provisions relating to teachers
when school aid appropriations do not keep pace with inflation
and the district has any one of a number of markers of academic
or financial distress.  Districts that place contracted teachers
on leave of absence are responsible for partial payment of the
teacher's contract under certain circumstances.

The portions of the bill relating to teacher contracts have an
emergency clause.

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:14 am