Rep. Bennie Thompson co-sponsors bill to set minimum teacher salary at $60K nationally
Dec. 20—TUPELO — Proposed legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson seeks to raise the national minimum salary for K-12 teachers to $60,000 amid teacher shortages.
The American Teacher Act — introduced by U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., on Dec. 14 — would incentivize states to increase compensation for teachers through a four-year federal grant program via the U.S. Department of Education.
"Teachers are the backbone of our education system and economy, playing a foundational role in the development of our children. For seven hours a day, they help shape and inspire young minds as well as nurture students academically and socially," Wilson said in a statement. "As the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, teachers continued to play a critical role in our recovery, underscoring their indispensability. I am proud to introduce the American Teacher Act, a critical first step in the fight to support a livable, competitive wage for America's educators."
Each state's education department would be required to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Education in order to receive the grant. Once awarded, 85% of the funds would be allocated to local educational agencies while the remaining 15% would be allocated to the state.
Thompson, Mississippi's sole congressional Democrat, said the pay increase is long overdue for teachers and hopes it will receive bipartisan support.
"Growing up in Mississippi, things were different, and teachers should be rewarded with great pay," Thompson said. "There is no issue more important than giving every child supportive teachers they need to learn and thrive."
The latest national effort to increase teacher pay comes less than a year after Mississippi lawmakers passed a historic teacher pay raise increasing the average pay for the state's teachers by $5,100 per year. The base salary for a first-year Mississippi teacher with a bachelor's degree was $37,000 before the new law increased it to about $41,500.
"I support any initiative that will pay our teachers comparable to professionals in other professions," Tupelo Public School District Superintendent Rob Picou said of the bill.
Erica Jones, President of the Mississippi Association of Educators, said the association will support the bill and strongly encourage all of the states legislators to support it as well.
"One thing that we do know, all educators deserve pay that allows them to focus on their classroom instruction, their families, which eventually will lead to success here in Mississippi," Jones said. "Many of our educators work part-time jobs because of the low salaries in the state, so hearing that there is national legislation proposed for a starting salary of $60,000 brings us joy."
Jones added she's excited to see whether the bill gains traction and where it leads to.
The proposed American Teacher Act includes a cost-of-living adjustment to ensure that the minimum teacher salary of $60,000 for the 2024-25 school year keeps pace with inflation in future years. Part-time teachers would also see a pay increase corresponding with their workload. For example, a 60% full-time equivalent teachers would have a maximum salary of $36,000.
It would not allow grants to be used by states and districts to replace currently-committed allocations other federal, state and local funds available for teacher pay.
The bill also includes funding for a national campaign to increase awareness about the importance of teachers and value of the teaching profession in an effort to encourage secondary school and college students to consider teaching as a career and to diversify the pool of individuals who enter the teaching profession.
