To ensure that teachers are paid a livable and competitive salary throughout their career, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Pay Teachers Act establishes a federal minimum salary floor for public school teachers, requiring all full-time teachers to earn at least $60,000 per year as a starting salary. It also sets minimum pay standards for paraprofessionals and education support staff at $45,000 annually (or $30 per hour for part-time workers). The bill creates new federal funding streams to help states meet these salary requirements and establishes programs to improve teacher training, career advancement, and equitable distribution of qualified teachers across schools.
Who Benefits and How
Public school teachers benefit most directly, particularly those currently earning below $60,000, as states must raise their salaries to meet the new federal minimum. Paraprofessionals and education support staff—including school bus drivers, librarians, and classified employees—receive guaranteed minimum wages of $45,000/year or $30/hour. Students in underserved and low-income communities benefit from provisions designed to distribute effective teachers more equitably across schools. Teachers unions and collective bargaining organizations gain from explicit protections preserving collective bargaining rights. Minority-Serving Institutions and HBCUs receive funding priority for teacher preparation programs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the significant new mandatory appropriations required to pay for salary subsidies to states. State educational agencies face new compliance, reporting, and administrative requirements to implement the salary minimums and participate in federal programs. Local educational agencies (school districts) must adjust their budgets and salary structures to meet the mandated minimums. States with currently low teacher salaries face the largest adjustments, as they must bring all teacher pay up to the $60,000 floor.
Key Provisions
- Establishes a $60,000 minimum annual base salary for first-year public school teachers, with salaries increasing based on experience
- Sets $45,000/year (or $30/hour) minimum for paraprofessionals and education support staff
- Creates mandatory federal appropriations to help states fund the salary increases, with specific allocations for rural and Bureau of Indian Education schools
- Requires states to form commissions to advance the teaching profession and create career ladder advancement opportunities
- Includes provisions to promote equitable distribution of effective teachers to high-need schools and underserved communities
- Provides grants for educator preparation programs, with priority for Minority-Serving Institutions and programs addressing special education and shortage areas
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The Pay Teachers Act establishes a minimum starting salary of $60,000 for public school teachers and $45,000/$30 per hour for paraprofessionals and education support staff, provides mandatory federal appropriations to fund these salary increases, and creates programs to advance the teaching profession and promote equitable distribution of qualified teachers.
Who Benefits
- Public school teachers (especially those earning below $60,000)
- Paraprofessionals and education support staff
- School bus drivers, librarians, and classified school employees
Who Bears Costs
- Federal taxpayers (significant new mandatory appropriations)
- State educational agencies (new compliance and reporting requirements)
- Local educational agencies (salary adjustment mandates)
Key Policy Areas
Education, Labor & Employment, Federal Appropriations, Workforce Development
Primary Purpose
The Pay Teachers Act establishes a minimum starting salary of $60,000 for public school teachers and $45,000/$30 per hour for paraprofessionals and education support staff, provides mandatory federal appropriations to fund these salary increases, and creates programs to advance the teaching profession and promote equitable distribution of qualified teachers.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Address teacher shortages and improve educational equity by mandating minimum teacher salaries, providing substantial federal funding, and creating pathways for teacher career advancement."
Identified Gains
- Public school teachers (especially those earning below $60,000)
- Paraprofessionals and education support staff
- School bus drivers, librarians, and classified school employees
- Students in underserved and low-income communities
- Minority-Serving Institutions and HBCUs (teacher preparation programs)
- Teachers' unions and collective bargaining organizations
Identified Costs
- Federal taxpayers (significant new mandatory appropriations)
- State educational agencies (new compliance and reporting requirements)
- Local educational agencies (salary adjustment mandates)
- States with low current teacher salaries (significant salary increases required)
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Markey, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Luján, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bureau of Indian Education schools, Children with disabilities and their families, HBCUs and minority-serving institutions
Local educational agencies faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Bureau of Indian Education schools, Children with disabilities and their families, HBCUs and minority-serving institutions, Higher education institutions in educator partnerships, Local educational agencies running incentive programs, Low-income and minority students, Low-income student communities, Military base communities, Prospective teachers in residency programs, Public school teachers, Public schools serving low-income students, Rural school districts, School districts serving federally connected children, School finance researchers and higher education, School paraprofessionals (librarians, instructional aides, bus drivers), School paraprofessionals and education support staff, Schools serving underserved students, Special education teacher preparation programs, Students in underperforming schools, Teacher candidates at MSIs, Teacher preparation programs at colleges/universities, Teachers and school leaders in incentive programs, Teachers in high-need schools, Teachers seeking National Board Certification, Tribal communities and Native American students, Underserved student populations, Underserved students (minority, low-income, disabled, English learners)
Negative-direction: Local educational agencies and schools in improvement status, State educational agencies
State and local educational agencies, State educational agencies, State educational agencies and Governors
State educational agencies faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: State and local educational agencies, State educational agencies and Governors
Negative-direction: State governments, State governments and LEAs, States and local educational agencies
School employee labor unions, Teachers unions and labor organizations, Teachers unions and school employee unions
Alternative certification programs
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
- "the_bureau"
- → Bureau of Indian Education
- "the_director"
- → Director of the Bureau of Indian Education
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
- "the_state"
- → State Educational Agency
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
- "the_state"
- → State Educational Agency
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
- "the_commission"
- → State Commission to Advance the Teaching Profession
- "the_state"
- → State Educational Agency
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A structured set of staff advancement opportunities for teachers that increase roles and responsibilities.
A percentage equal to the estimated percentage change in the Consumer Price Index, as determined by the Secretary, for the most recent calendar year ending prior to the beginning of such fiscal year.
The base salary, calculated as an annual rate of pay, of a full-time teacher, excluding additional compensation for extra responsibilities (coaching, summer teaching), bonuses, stipends, and awards.
An amount determined by the State that all full-time teachers must be paid as their annual base salary; for first-year teachers, at least $60,000; for teachers with more than 2 years of experience, greater than $60,000 and increasing with experience.
An employee of a local educational agency with a primary duty of teaching in a public elementary or secondary school, who meets certification and licensure requirements, and is not a substitute teacher.
An amount determined by the State that all full-time equivalent employees must be paid as their annual base salary, which is at least $45,000 and increases with experience.
An amount determined by the State that all part-time equivalent staff must be paid, which is at least $30.00 per hour and increases with experience.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology