The following words and phrases, as used in sections 169.010 to 169.130, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context, shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Accumulated contributions” shall mean the sum of the annual contributions a member has made to the retirement system through deductions from the member’s salary, plus interest compounded annually on each year’s contributions from the end of the school year during which such contributions were made;

(2) “Board” shall mean the board of trustees provided for in sections 169.010 to 169.130;

(3) “Creditable service” shall mean prior service or membership service, or the sum of the two, if the member has both to the member’s credit;

(4) “District” shall mean public school, as herein defined;

(5) “Employ” shall have a meaning agreeable with that herein given to employer and employee;

(6) “Employee” shall be synonymous with the term “teacher” as the same is herein defined;

(7) “Employer” shall mean the district that makes payment directly to the teacher or employee for such person‘s services;

(8) “Final average salary” shall mean the total compensation payable to a member for any three consecutive years of creditable service, as elected by the member, divided by thirty-six; with the proviso that any annual compensation entering into the total compensation shall not exceed twelve thousand six hundred dollars for any year prior to July 1, 1967; and with the proviso that the board may set a maximum percentage of increase in annual compensation from one year to the next in the final average salary period. In no instance shall the maximum percentage of increase in annual compensation from one year to the next in the final average salary period exceed ten percent. This limit will not apply to increases due to bonafide changes in position or employer increases required by state statute, or districtwide salary schedule adjustments for previously unrecognized education-related services;

(9) “Member” shall mean a person who holds membership in the retirement system;

(10) “Membership service” shall mean service rendered by a member of the retirement system after the system becomes operative, and may include a period of service in the Armed Forces of the United States as provided for in section 169.055;

(11) “Prior service” shall mean service rendered by a member of the retirement system before the system becomes operative, and may include service rendered by a member of the Armed Forces if the member was a teacher at the time the member was inducted, for which credit has been approved by the board of trustees;

(12) “Public school” shall mean any school conducted within the state under the authority and supervision of a duly elected district or city or town board of directors or board of education and the board of regents of the several state teachers’ colleges, or state colleges, board of trustees of the public school retirement system of Missouri, and also the state of Missouri and each county thereof, to the extent that the state and the several counties are employers of teachers as herein designated;

(13) “Retirement allowance” shall mean a monthly payment for life during retirement;

(14) “Retirement system” or “system” shall mean the public school retirement system of Missouri created by sections 169.010 to 169.130;

(15) “Salary”, “salary rate” or “compensation” shall mean the regular remuneration, including any payments made pursuant to sections 168.500 to 168.515, which is earned by a member as an employee of a district, but not including employer-paid fringe benefits except the value of employer-paid medical benefits (including dental and vision) for members, and not including employer-paid medical benefits (including dental and vision) for anyone other than the member, employer contributions to any deferred compensation plan, consideration for agreeing to terminate employment or other nonrecurring or unusual payments that are not a part of regular remuneration. The board by its rules may further define salary, salary rate and compensation in a manner consistent with this definition and with sections 169.010 to 169.141;

(16) “School year” shall mean the year from July first of one year to June thirtieth of next year, inclusive, which shall also be the fiscal year of the system;

(17) “Teacher” shall mean any person who shall be employed by any public school on a full-time basis and who shall be duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers; any person employed in the state department of elementary and secondary education or by the state board of education on a full-time basis who shall be duly certificated under the law governing the certification of teachers and who did not become a member of the Missouri state employees’ retirement system pursuant to section 104.342; and persons employed by the board of trustees of the public school retirement system of Missouri on a full-time basis who shall be duly certified under the law governing the certification of teachers. The term “teacher” shall be synonymous with the term “employee” as defined in this section.