Sponsors (100)
Introduced March 10, 2025 by Frederica Wilson · Last progress March 10, 2025
The bill would raise and stabilize teacher pay—especially in high-need and rural areas—and support recruitment and worker protections, but it shifts sizable, potentially open‑ended fiscal and administrative burdens onto federal, state, and local budgets and may exclude or impose new requirements on some teachers and districts.
Full-time teachers in qualifying schools would receive a federally-supported minimum base salary of $60,000 (indexed annually), raising teacher pay across participating districts.
Funding is prioritized to high-poverty (Title I) and fully rural LEAs, directing support to students and communities with the greatest need.
Salary increases are indexed to CPI‑U so teacher pay can keep pace with inflation over time, helping preserve purchasing power.
States, districts, and taxpayers could face substantial and sustained new fiscal obligations to maintain a $60,000 minimum (especially with CPI indexing), forcing cuts, higher local taxes, or new revenue sources.
The bill increases federal outlays and (with open-ended authorizations) raises the risk of higher deficits or larger appropriations absent strict caps or oversight.
Application, demonstration, reporting, eligibility documentation, and compliance requirements create added administrative burdens for state education agencies, LEAs, schools, and teachers.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Creates federal grants to raise teacher base salaries to at least $60,000 (CPI‑indexed) for qualifying schools, funds COLAs for eligible states, and supports a national recruitment campaign.
Creates a federal grant program to raise and sustain teacher pay by funding a $60,000 minimum annual base salary for full‑time teachers at qualifying public schools (indexed to inflation starting 2026–2027), plus a separate grant stream to cover cost‑of‑living adjustments for states already meeting the $60,000 baseline. Grants are distributed to states (with at least 85% flowing to local school districts), include requirements to maintain pay after the grant, and reserve up to 4% of funds for a national teacher recruitment and outreach campaign. The program is authorized for fiscal years 2026–2030 with appropriations of "such sums as may be necessary."