Okay did a bit of checking on schools in Missouri, and found that you are below the national average Of course “they” say that you are still doing okay because of the cost of living there, I'm not sure if I believe that … and think you could clear that up better then most.
I also found that the size of classes there are as a whole good .. with a large majority of them being 14 or under per teachers, but was kind of confused because when you found one higher .. it seems to be and extreme number .. (upper 20's) thankfully they seemed far and few between.
As to the cut you took … I could find nothing where teachers salaries were cut .. .except for that getting extra pay for teaching a 6h class during your day. Or have I just missed something ? I also found where they haven't denied the raise for the 2011/2012 year … if not at least that is a good thing ..
I see no reason why your retirement account can't be more like the private corporations that match funds up to a percentage of what you put towards your towards you retirement .. .to me that is fair . .and encourages you to put all you can of your money towards retirement as well .
One last thing .. I found this .. not sure if this includes your district or not .. but sure shows how a system can be abused ..
Newspaper: Mo. Teachers pension fund officials living it up - Columbia Missourian