Teachers; required to be compensated at or above national average. (HB233)
Introduced By
Del. Martha Mugler (D-Hampton with support from co-patrons Del. Carrie Coyner (R-Chesterfield), and Del. Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
☐ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Teacher compensation; at or above national average. Requires public school teachers to be compensated at a rate that is at or above the national average. Under current law, compensation at such rate is aspirational. The foregoing provisions of the bill have a delayed effective date of July 1, 2025. The bill requires funding to be provided on an incremental basis pursuant to the general appropriation act to implement such teacher compensation rate by the effective date. Read the Bill »
Outcome
Bill Has Failed
History
Date | Action |
---|---|
12/29/2019 | Committee |
12/29/2019 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20102564D |
12/29/2019 | Referred to Committee on Education |
01/15/2020 | Assigned Education sub: SOL and SOQ |
01/22/2020 | Impact statement from DPB (HB233) |
01/27/2020 | House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered |
01/27/2020 | Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (4-Y 3-N) |
02/03/2020 | Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment (5-Y 3-N) |
02/03/2020 | Subcommittee recommends referring to Committee on Appropriations |
02/11/2020 | Left in Education |
Comments
The hand that rocks the cradle.
This bill is silly. By definition, not everyone can be above average, or paid "at a rate that is at or above the national average." The author of this bill apparently believes that life is like the mythical Lake Wobegon, where all the children were above average. But state budgeting is about reality, not fantasy.
The bill doesn't propose to pay all teachers at an above-average rate (which would, of course, be impossible) just Virginia teachers an average rate. Obviously Virginia teachers can be paid at an above-average rate. If the average income for new, full-time, public school teachers in the U.S. is, say, $38,000, then Virginia can set a baseline salary of $38,000, and that goal is accomplished quite neatly.
But not every state's teachers can be paid an above-average rate. By definition, half of all states will have to be below average. (Being paid below average is not the end of the world. New Hampshire long had good schools, and some of the highest SAT scores, despite having low teacher salaries compared to much of the country). If all or even many states pass laws saying their employees have to be paid above the national average, those states will end up spending an infinite amount of money on their employees, because their salaries will constantly rise to stay ahead of other states and remain above average. It will be a financial arms race with no end. That is financially unsustainable, and will bankrupt states and leave them unable to pay the pensions of their retired teachers and other employees, and unable to pay for core services for the public like police and fire departments.
Teachers making $80,000 average in fxco for 194 days