Mo. Lawmakers Discuss Education Reform, Merit Pay

Missouri lawmakers held a hearing Wednesday on a far-reaching education reform bill that would rank teachers and reward top performers with higher pay, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday.

The proposal mirrors others Republican-led education reform initiatives across the country. In Missouri, the new law could strip teachers of tenure and cut pay for low ranking teachers.

The bill’s sponsor, House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Chairman Scott Dieckhaus, told the newspaper that the competition would improve teaching.

"It's time we move away from paying people based on how long they've been teaching and what piece of paper they have hanging on the wall," said Dieckhaus, a Republican from Washington and a former high school social studies teacher.

Tenure is being debated in Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Idaho, Tennessee, and other states.

Dieckhaus said his committee would meet soon to come up with more details about how to evaluate teachers.