Past Posting
What’s
Happening in School Affairs?
Hopefully all of you have had a great fall and are looking
forward to a wonderful holiday season.
Make sure to take some time for rest and relaxation.
You all deserve it!
Here are some highlights of what has been going on in the
area of school services.
Senate
Bill 968/Advocating for a Salary Supplement:
Following the passage of Senate Bill 968, I have received
numerous requests for information on the bill and how to
advocate for salary supplements in the schools.
Basically, SB 968 allows for SLPs meeting the criteria
(Certificate of Clinical Competence, minimum of five years with
public schools in Missouri, and teacher certification) to
qualify for level III of a career ladder.
Important points to keep in mind are that 1) not all
districts offer a career ladder, and 2) the program is a
voluntary one - districts are not required to move an SLP
meeting the criteria to level III.
The bill makes SLPs who meet the criteria eligible for
movement to level III; however, each request for movement on the
career ladder is at the discretion of administrators in each
individual school district. While the bill is a step in the
right direction, it is not the answer many were hoping for and
numerous members have expressed disappointment and frustration
following its passage. One important benefit is that by moving
SLPs to level III, districts may find this facilitates efforts
to recruit and retain fully qualified service providers.
Lets work together to advocate for the full
implementation of this salary supplement for SLPs in the
schools.
Additional Information:
A summary of SB 968 can be found at www.senate.state.mo.us/senmogov/04info/bills/sb968.htm
(see Sec. 168.5)
Information on how to advocate for salary supplements can be
found at www.asha.org/advocacy-schools.htm.
Please note that you must be an ASHA member to access
most of the information from the ASHA link. MSHA members may also wish to request ASHA’s State Advocacy
Guidebook for the Salary Supplement Initiative and/or Working
for Change: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists and
Audiologists in the Schools.
Both documents can be requested through ASHA’s Action
Center at 800-498-2071. This
information may be useful to you if your district does not
participate in the Missouri Career Development and Teacher
Excellence Plan.
