Teacher Salary Proposals
SREB states, 2019 and 2018
Teacher salaries are in the news, and we’ve been getting some questions about what actions SREB states are taking during this year’s legislative sessions.
As of March 14, governors in SREB states have proposed the following teacher salary increases (for 2019-20 unless otherwise noted):
| Arkansas | raise minimum base by $1,000 each year over next four years Legislature approved and governor signed legislation enacting this increase |
| Delaware | 2 percent pay increase |
| Georgia | $3,000 flat pay raise; intention of raising by another $2,000 in the future Legislature approved $3,000 increase for 2019-20 |
| Louisiana | $1,000 flat increase for all teachers |
| Mississippi | 3 percent salary increase over coming two years Legislature approved $1,500 salary increase in 2019-20 for certified teachers, teacher assistants, reading and librarian aides, counselors and librarians |
| North Carolina | average 4.6 percent increase in 2019-20 and average 4.5 percent increase in 2020-21 for teachers |
| Oklahoma | $1,200 flat increase for all teachers |
| South Carolina | 5 percent pay increase |
| Tennessee | funding sufficient to provide average 2.5 percent pay increase for teachers (actual increases are subject to each school district’s salary structure) |
| Virginia | additional 2 percent increase beyond 3 percent increase, for a total of 5 percent to take effect 7/1/2019 Legislature approved additional 2 percent increase that takes effect 9/1/2019 |
| West Virginia | average 5 percent pay increase for teachers |
On a related note, while this is not a salary increase, the governor in Florida proposed a nearly $200 million increase to the Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program (to nearly $423 million), along with a proposed increase to the maximum awards to this teacher performance incentive program.
Also, the governor in Texas recommended, beyond the currently required amount, an additional $3 billion in state funding over the biennium; that funding would allow districts to enact salary structures with the possibility that effective teachers could earn a six-figure salary.
2018 teacher salary actions
Last year, SREB states enacted these teacher salary increases (for the 2018-19 year except as noted):
| Alabama | 2.5 percent salary increase |
| North Carolina | 6.5 percent average salary increase |
| Oklahoma | salary increases ranging from 15.8 percent to 18.3 percent |
| Tennessee | 2 percent salary increase |
| Virginia | 3 percent increase to take effect 7/1/2019 |
| West Virginia | 5 percent salary increase |