MREA has a long-standing platform position promoting teacher quality and availability so the state’s 845,000 students have highly qualified licensed teachers. View printer-friendly brief on this issue.
Where We Stand
The state directed school districts in 2014 to implement a teacher evaluation and development plan (TDE). The 2014 Legislature spent $302 per teacher in one-time money for districts that don’t participate in QComp. The 2015 Legislature added more purposes for which QComp programs could allocate resources and increased its funding by $9 million to fund districts with approved plans.
What’s Next?
To promote teacher quality and availability, MREA encourages:
- Providing teacher and staff development funding through QComp with sufficient funding for all school districts.
- Re-imagining and more robustly funding the 1985 staff development statute to better align it with TDE.
Key Considerations
- Have rural districts aligned their TDE plan district-wide with the state law?
- What modifications could help make QComp more effective in rural schools?
- Will rural districts and faculty develop and submit QComp plans to access the newfunding?
- If QComp is not the appropriate model, what next steps should be considered be topromote teacher quality of current and future teachers?