A Brief Background of Education in Missouri, Development of the Public School Retirement System and Missouri Retired Teachers' Association – 1960 to 2022
Missouri public schools were established based on 16th Section land grants set aside for public education. The State Constitution of 1875 established a State School Fund, and enrollment in Missouri public schools grew steadily over the following decades as communities across the state invested in educating their children.
Highlights
The Missouri Constitution of 1945 provided for the creation of a Public School Retirement System (PSRS). Hubert Wheeler was a key figure in the early efforts to establish a reliable retirement system for Missouri’s public school educators.
Over time, the system expanded to include special education programs and broader protections for school personnel across the state, laying the groundwork for the advocacy mission that MRTA would carry forward for decades to come.
MRTA History
The Missouri Retired Teachers and Education Employees Association was organized in December 1960 by 11 retired teachers meeting at the Governor Hotel in Jefferson City. Five school districts were represented at that founding meeting: St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Columbia, Lebanon, and Springfield. Thomas E. Babb of Springfield served as the inaugural President.
Initial annual dues were set at $1.00, and by 1962 membership had grown to 649. In 1972, legislative changes affecting retirement benefits spurred renewed advocacy efforts by MRTA on behalf of its members. The organization was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit in 1980.
Today, MRTA carries forward its founding motto – “To Serve, Not to be Served” – with nearly 30,000 active members representing over 113,000 retirees statewide.
