A national effort to increase the minimum starting salary for teachers through federal funds has the attention of the National Teachers Hall of Fame.
Interim Executive Director Carol Strickland says the Teachers Hall of Fame can’t take a political stance on this or other major issues, but it can encourage involvement from its inductees at the state and federal levels in what’s called the Teacher Salary Project. Strickland also says a significant bump in pay makes a lot of sense, given current salaries for teachers and other professions.
The Teacher Salary Project is connected to the American Teacher Act, which is designed to bring minimum starting salaries up to $60,000, was introduced in the US House of Representatives late last year. The plan also includes cost-of-living pay increases as a way to offer competitive salaries and highlight education as a national priority.
While the median teacher salary nationwide was about $61,000 two years ago, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says average teacher pay can vary as much as $30,000, depending on the state. The National Education Association says Kansas average teacher salaries were almost $54,000 for the 2021-22 academic year, up almost 3 percent from the previous school year, but it also says inflation-adjusted salaries nationwide are over $2,100 less than they were a decade ago.
The American Teacher Act is one of several bills introduced in Congress to raise teacher pay and includes states opting in to federally-funded four-year grants.
For more information, go online to nthf.org or teachersalaryproject.org.
