An effort to boost teacher pay in Missouri and attract quality candidates has smaller school districts wondering how they’ll be able to pay for it.

Several districts including Concordia R-II are continuing to search for solutions to comply with a new state law that, among other provisions, sets minimum teacher pay at $40,000 per year starting in the 2025-26 school year. Superintendent Dr Theresa Christian says a committee formed to review the impact of the new state law delivered an update at their school board meeting earlier this month.

Christian said additional increases are built into the law to take effect by the 2027-28 school year. She adds that the impact to the budget could be significant.

Concordia R-II Superintendent Dr Theresa Christian notes that board members are also keeping their eyes on bills pre-filed at the Missouri General Assembly ahead of the start of their next regular session that begins Jan. 8.