A Tennessee school district is moving its minimum starting pay to $50,000 and giving all teachers the equivalent of a 4-step pay raise next year.
That’s the plan announced by Lakeland Schools at a recent budget meeting.
The Daily Memphian reports:
“One of things that’s really the highlight of this budget, in fact, it’s the main difference, is that this budget makes a historic investment in our teachers, in our teachers’ salary schedules in particular,” Horrell said. “A fairly significant bump for almost every teacher. Basically, every teacher would move up the equivalent of four steps in one year.”
The proposed raises represent salary increases of between $3000-$5000 a year for all teachers.
The current district pay scale can be seen here.
Teacher pay matters. Investing in the people who have direct contact with students is a direct investment in student success.
When teachers get paid more, students do better. In one study, a 10% increase in teacher pay was estimated to produce a 5 to 10% increase in student performance. Teacher pay also has long-term benefits for students. A 10% increase in per-pupil spending for each of the 12 years of education results in students completing more education, having 7% higher wages, and having a reduced rate of adult poverty. These benefits are even greater for families who are in poverty.