163.172.  Minimum teacher's salary — information to be provided to general assembly — salary defined — grant fund and program created. — 1.  (1)  In school year 1994-95 and thereafter until school year 2006-07, the minimum teacher's salary shall be eighteen thousand dollars.  Beginning in school year 2006-07, the minimum teacher's salary shall be twenty-two thousand dollars; in school year 2007-08, the minimum teacher's salary shall be twenty-three thousand dollars; in school year 2008-09, the minimum teacher's salary shall be twenty-four thousand dollars; in school year 2009-10 and in each subsequent school year through the 2024-25 school year, the minimum teacher's salary shall be twenty-five thousand dollars.

  (2)  For the 2025-26 school year and in all subsequent school years, the minimum teacher's salary shall be forty thousand dollars.

  (3)  Beginning in the school year 1996-97 until school year 2006-07, for any full-time teacher with a master's degree and at least ten years' teaching experience in a public school or combination of public schools, the minimum salary shall be twenty-four thousand dollars.  Beginning in the school year 2006-07, for any full-time teacher with a master's degree in an academic teaching field and at least ten years' teaching experience in a public school or combination of public schools, the minimum salary shall be thirty thousand dollars; in the 2007-08 school year such minimum salary shall be thirty-one thousand dollars; in the 2008-09 school year such minimum salary shall be thirty-two thousand dollars; and in the 2009-10 school year and in each subsequent school year through the 2024-25 school year, such minimum salary shall be thirty-three thousand dollars.

  (4)  For the 2025-26 school year and in all subsequent school years, the minimum teacher's salary for any full-time teacher with a master's degree in an academic teaching field directly related to the teacher's assignment and at least ten years' teaching experience in a public school or combination of public schools shall be as follows:

  (a)  In the 2025-26 school year, forty-six thousand dollars;

  (b)  In the 2026-27 school year, forty-seven thousand dollars; and

  (c)  In the 2027-28 school year, forty-eight thousand dollars.

  2.  (1)  As used in this subsection, "CPI" means the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the United States as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or its successor index.

  (2)  In the 2028-29 school year and in all subsequent school years, the minimum salaries identified in subdivision (2) of subsection 1 of this section and in paragraph (c) of subdivision (4) of subsection 1 of this section shall be adjusted annually by the percentage increase in inflation as described in subdivision (3) of this subsection.

  (3)  If the CPI report for January of a given year indicates that inflation increased over the previous twelve months by at least one percent, the department of elementary and secondary education shall increase the minimum salaries described in subdivision (2) of this subsection by the same percentage increase in inflation, except that no minimum salary increase shall exceed three percent.

  (4)  The state board of education shall publish such minimum salaries annually in February beginning in calendar year 2026.  Modifications to the minimum salaries shall take effect on July first of each calendar year.

  3.  The commissioner of education shall present to the appropriate committees of the general assembly information on the average Missouri teacher's salary, regional average salary data, and national average salary data.

  4.  All school salary information shall be public information.

  5.  As used in this section, the term "salary" shall be defined as the salary figure which appears on the teacher's contract and as determined by the local school district's basic salary schedule and does not include supplements for extra duties.

  6.  The minimum salary for any fully certificated teacher employed on a less than full-time basis by a school district, state school for the severely handicapped, the Missouri School for the Deaf, or the Missouri School for the Blind shall be prorated to reflect the amounts provided in subsection 1 of this section.

  7.  (1)  There is hereby created in the state treasury the "Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Fund", which shall consist of moneys appropriated under subsection 8 of this section.  The state treasurer shall be custodian of the fund.  In accordance with sections 30.170 and 30.180, the state treasurer may approve disbursements.  The fund shall be a dedicated fund and, upon appropriation, moneys in this fund shall be used solely to increase minimum teacher's salaries as provided in this section.

  (2)  Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 to the contrary, any moneys remaining in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not revert to the credit of the general revenue fund.

  (3)  The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund in the same manner as other funds are invested.  Any interest and moneys earned on such investments shall be credited to the fund.

  8.  (1)  There is hereby created the "Teacher Baseline Salary Grant" program.  The general assembly may appropriate amounts to the teacher baseline salary grant fund created in subsection 7 of this section.  The total amount appropriated to such fund shall not exceed the amount necessary to assist each school district in increasing minimum teacher's salaries to the minimum amount as required under this section.

  (2)  Subject to the appropriation of moneys to the teacher baseline salary grant fund, each school district may apply to the department of elementary and secondary education for a grant of moneys from the teacher baseline salary grant fund to assist such district in increasing minimum teacher's salaries as required under this section.