Missouri Senate gives first round approval to create a task force to decide if Missouri's teachers are earning their salaries.

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1/24/2011: Newspaper Story - Lawmakers propose changes to education system including new tenure guidelines

Intro:	Missouri's Senate gives first round approval to a plan to study whether the State is getting what it's paying for with teachers.
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Wrap: With the vote, lawmakers start the process of creating a task force to study the effectiveness of Missouri's teachers.

The 14-member panel would look for a correlation between higher teacher pay and more effective teaching.

Republican Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce sponsors the bill.

He says he wants high performing teachers to be paid more.

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Description: "It's not just money it's not just dollars it's what do we get for those dollars."

Pearce says the bill would allow for more frequent teacher evaluations.

The Missouri National Education Association says it supports this current proposal.

But it says evaluations of teachers should be done by local school districts.

Reporting from the State Capitol, I'm Andrew Weil.

Intro:	Missouri's Senate gives first round approval to increase teacher evaluations but one Senator says the panel should have a different purpose.
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Wrap: With the vote, lawmakers begin the process of creating a 14-member task force to suggest how to improve the effectiveness of Missouri's teachers.

Republican Senate Finance Committee Chairman Kevin Engler says the panel should also focus on pension plans.

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Description: "While I looked at your overall make up I don't think that you, I think you have the right people I don't think you have the right directive."

Engler says he doesn't want to block the bill but there needs to be a solution for pension plans.

Republican Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce sponsors the bill.

He says looking at pension plans isn't in the scope of this panel.

Pearce says he will focus next year on a long term solution for educator pension plans.

Reporting from the State Capitol, I'm Andrew Weil.

Intro:	As Missouri's Senate gives first round approval to study whether Missourians are getting what they're paying for with educators, one senator hopes the plan will bring more teachers into the State.
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Wrap: A task force to study how to improve the effectiveness of Missouri's teachers is one step closer to creation.

The 14-member panel would give recommendations to ensure educators are evaluated fairly.

Republican Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce sponsors the bill.

He says the task force suggestions will help to recruit future teachers.

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Description: "We have to be able to show them this is a good industry to go into. It's a noble profession and one thing is you got to take care of folks."

The Missouri National Education Association says it supports the plan.

But lawmakers shouldn't evaluate teachers so heavily on student outcome.

Reporting from the State Capitol, I'm Andrew Weil.