STLPR0%
St. Louis special education district freezes teacher, staff salaries for next school year 33%
By Hiba Ahmad0%
5/28/2026, 10:00:00 AM
Topics: Education, Government Politics And Issues
BS Summary: This article contains 20 faulty reasoning types, including Post Hoc (False Cause), Anecdotal, and Ambiguity (Equivocation), with Self-Serving Bias as the most egregious example at 19.1% saturation with 122 hits. Analysis detected 896 faulty-reasoning hits from 640 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 41.4% and a BS Rank of 33% (11,304 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 67.20% of the article peer group.
The Special School District of St.
Louis County’s Board of Education approved a salary freeze for unionized workers, including teachers and paraprofessionals, on Tuesday.
The district provides special education services and support for over 23,000 students and partners with 22 public school districts in St.
Louis County.
SSD is facing an estimated deficit of about $83 million for the 2026-27 school year, when the freeze would be in effect.
The school board also approved a salary freeze for administrators and business professionals in the district earlier this month.
Benefits for all employees are expected to remain unchanged.
“The board remains committed to good-faith discussions with our bargaining partners.
We recognize the real financial pressures facing our employees, just as we also must confront the very real financial challenges facing the district,” School Board President Carmen Meeks said.
Teachers and staff packed the school board’s monthly business meeting to speak out against the proposed plan.
The SSD Education Association, the teachers union, has been negotiating a new contract with the district.
Denise Hill, who has taught in the Special School District for about 25 years, spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting.
Hill said teachers understood the district’s financial constraints but worried freezing pay would exacerbate the teacher shortage in the district.
“Every day we're asked to do more with less.
We always adapt.
We sacrifice time with our families.
We purchase classroom supplies and treats with our own money.
We support students academically, emotionally and socially — often far beyond our contracted and financial responsibilities,” Hill said.
The district has faced a yearslong battle with its finances.
Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Henry said SSD is projected to spend over $50 million more than it budgeted in the 2025-26 school year.
The deficit spending is due in part to increasing enrollment of students with disabilities and special needs in the county.
The district is mandated by state and federal law to provide enough staffing to meet each student’s individualized education plan.
District officials said the situation has only grown more dire after the Missouri legislature failed to fully fund the education budget for next year — leaving a $190 million gap in funding.
A freeze on property taxes for seniors living in St.
Louis County has also negatively impacted the district’s revenue.
Public school districts rely heavily on property taxes to fund their budgets.
In its draft budget, the district also cites concerns over the changing nature of the U.S.
Department of Education, which oversees the disbursement of federal funds from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Superintendent Michael Maclin said in a statement to STLPR that the decision to freeze salaries across the district was not made lightly.
“I want our employees and community to know this is not a reflection of how we value our staff.
I have seen firsthand the dedication, expertise, and compassion our employees bring to students every day in classrooms, schools, and programs across SSD,” Maclin said.
“We are deeply grateful for their commitment to helping students succeed, and we remain focused on making the difficult decisions necessary to preserve services and support students into the future.”
But the salary freeze proved to be the final push for teachers like Lindsey Weatherby, who has taught in the district for over five years and has two children who receive services from SSD.
“I've moved on to another district, and it is in direct correlation to the way that I feel valued as an employee,” Weatherby said.
“I love what I do.
I love my kids.
I know that I make a difference.
I know that I am an amazing educator based on not just test results, [but] based on the relationships that I built and the way I make kids feel.”
Analysis
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