To ensure that teachers are paid a livable and competitive salary throughout their career, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill creates congressional findings documenting the problem of inadequate teacher salaries, citing evidence that teachers earn less than comparable professionals and many rely on public assistance, provides appropriates $36.8 billion for fiscal year 2026 for Title I Part A of ESEA, with annual increases tied to Consumer Price Index, and provides appropriates $440 million for fiscal year 2026 for rural education programs under ESEA Part B of Title V, with annual CPI-based increases. It relies on appropriations, compliance mandates, definition changes, and grants. The main policy areas are Education, Educational Equity, Labor, and Teacher Professional Development.
Who Benefits and How
Public school teachers could gain revenue opportunities, State educational agencies could gain revenue opportunities, and Teacher preparation programs at colleges/universities could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State educational agencies would take on compliance duties, Local educational agencies could face higher costs, and State governments could face higher costs.
Key Provisions
- Creates congressional findings documenting the problem of inadequate teacher salaries, citing evidence that teachers earn less than comparable professionals and many rely on public assistance.
- Provides appropriates $36.8 billion for fiscal year 2026 for Title I Part A of ESEA, with annual increases tied to Consumer Price Index.
- Provides appropriates $440 million for fiscal year 2026 for rural education programs under ESEA Part B of Title V, with annual CPI-based increases.
- Provides appropriates $1.474 billion for fiscal year 2026 for Impact Aid payments to schools serving federally connected children, with annual CPI-based increases.
- Provides appropriates $1.131 billion for fiscal year 2026 for Bureau of Indian Education programs and schools, with annual CPI-based increases.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill creates congressional findings documenting the problem of inadequate teacher salaries, citing evidence that teachers earn less than comparable professionals and many rely on public assistance, provides appropriates $36.8 billion for fiscal year 2026 for Title I Part A of ESEA, with annual increases tied to Consumer Price Index, and provides appropriates $440 million for fiscal year 2026 for rural education programs under ESEA Part B of Title V, with annual CPI-based increases.
Key Policy Areas
Education, Educational Equity, Labor, Teacher Professional Development
Primary Purpose
The bill creates congressional findings documenting the problem of inadequate teacher salaries, citing evidence that teachers earn less than comparable professionals and many rely on public assistance, provides appropriates $36.8 billion for fiscal year 2026 for Title I Part A of ESEA, with annual increases tied to Consumer Price Index, and provides appropriates $440 million for fiscal year 2026 for rural education programs under ESEA Part B of Title V, with annual CPI-based increases.
Policy Domains
Preliminary Sections (1-5)
Identified Gains
- Public school teachers
- State educational agencies
- Teacher preparation programs at colleges/universities
- Special education teacher preparation programs
- School paraprofessionals and education support staff
Identified Costs
- State educational agencies
- Local educational agencies
- State governments
- State governments and LEAs
- Local educational agencies and schools in improvement status
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