HCS HB 1041 -- SCHOOL PERSONNEL (Cunningham, 86)

This substitute 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 proration factor is removed from the career ladder
entitlement line in the school funding formula; this portion of
the substitute contains an emergency clause.  The substitute
permits districts to offer hiring incentives and salary schedule
modifications under certain circumstances to both tenured and
probationary teachers.  Districts meeting certain financial
criteria that place contracted teachers on leave more than 40
days after the appropriations bill is signed must pay the
teachers the greater of the salary for days worked or $3,000.
Districts will not be reimbursed by the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education for more than one A+ program coordinator.
School district officials, like officials of other political
subdivisions, are currently limited to $1,500 per annum in the
amount they can accept for performing services for their
district; the substitute raises the amount for school boards to
$5,000.  The substitute prohibits public school personnel from
performing strip searches on students and from requiring students
to remove religious emblems or garments if they are worn in a
nondisruptive manner.  The annual re-examination of school bus
drivers over the age of 70 remains the same, but the background
check, now annual, will occur every three years.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Cost on General Revenue Fund of
$3,947,351 in FY 2005, FY 2006, and FY 2007.  Estimated Cost on
Other State Funds of $10,000 in FY 2005, $0 in FY 2006, and $0 in
FY 2007.

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