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Teachers and staff are every district’s most valuable resource. Research shows that a skilled teacher has more impact on a student’s education than any curriculum or technology. Still, because teacher and staff salaries depend on tax rates, their pay often falls far behind inflation. When taking training and education levels into account, educators and support staff are some of the lowest paid professionals with the highest levels of education in our nation.
All teachers and staff benefit from the advocacy of Francis Howell Education Association (FHEA), even those who don’t become members and pay dues. Education associations negotiate on behalf of staff for fair pay, quality work conditions, and benefits. For example, dedicated planning time, free from additional duties, must be protected to ensure time for communicating with parents, preparing lessons, and providing feedback to students. Association leadership advocates for these needs and more, often even arranging and advocating for the continuing education and professional development educators need to hone their craft.
Often, the work of the education association president is so comprehensive and time-consuming that districts arrange for this leader to serve in a “release position.” A release president remains an employee of the district, able to access retirement and other benefits but is not assigned classroom duties. This allows the association leader to travel between campuses for teacher support, advocacy, or training as needed.
Our teachers’ work environment is our students’ learning environment. We call on our school board to work closely with union leaders.
The links below offer information about how teachers fund their associations and the distinction between a local association and its state or national parent organization.
More Resources
About NEA
About the Missouri Chapter
How MNEA PAC money is used in local elections
FHESPA (for support personnel)
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