Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday proposed raising teachers’ and other school employees’ salaries by 11 percent.
Beshear outlined his “Education First” budget plan, which provides an 11 percent pay raise for teachers and all school personnel – the largest single pay raise for public school educators in 40 years – and fully funds universal pre-K.
“We must invest more in public education,” Beshear said. “Our teachers are not paid what they are worth, and every child deserves a chance at true prosperity. With a record budget surplus, the largest Rainy Day Fund in state history and good economic conditions, we must keep Kentucky competitive by investing in our schools, teachers and students.”
11 percent pay raise
Based on reports from the National Education Association (NEA), Kentucky currently ranks 44th in teacher starting pay, with the average teacher starting salary being $38,010. The governor’s plan aims to change that by investing $1.1 billion over two years to support an 11 percent pay raise for teachers and all school employees, including bus drivers, cafeteria staff and janitors.
This increase would bring Kentucky’s average teacher starting pay to $42,191, bringing Kentucky up to 24th in the country for teacher starting salary in NEA’s rankings, the governor’s office said. The pay raise also would bring Kentucky up to 25th in average teacher salary, from its current ranking of 40th in NEA’s rankings.
Beshear noted that the Kentucky Department of Education also has salary data, but the NEA data is widely used and provides state-by-state comparisons. According to KDE, the average starting salary has risen to $40,156, and an 11 percent raise would bring that salary up to $44,573. KDE also reports that with the 11 percent raise, the average teacher’s pay would rise to $62,576.
“It is simple, you cannot catch a kid up on math if they don’t have a math teacher,” Beshear said. “And we cannot remain competitive with other states if we don’t pay our teachers what they are worth.”
The governor said the raise was fair because, while he was proud that state employees received a much-needed and deserved 14 percent pay raise over the past two years, educators only received an average of 3 percent last year, according to the Kentucky School Boards Association.
Fully funding pre-K
The governor’s plan calls for funding universal pre-K for all four-year-old children so every student is kindergarten-ready. If adopted by the General Assembly, this would be a first-time investment by the state.
“Early childhood education is proven to make sure children have long-term academic success, and funding it is the No. 1 most effective thing we can do to get people back to work,” Beshear said. “Others know this, and more and more states and cities, like Cincinnati, are investing in pre-K. They are helping their students succeed while supporting new mothers and fathers to help them get back into the workforce much sooner.”
Beshear also announced his administration is doing more to support state child-care providers with an additional $50 million as part of the ongoing child-care assistance payments. This additional payment is available thanks to an influx of federal dollars, which freed up state dollars to support childcare providers.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
