What This Bill Does
This bill gives federal grant money to state education agencies to help them increase teacher salaries. The goal is to ensure that every full-time teacher at a public school earns at least $60,000 per year, adjusted for inflation (meaning the amount increases when prices rise). The bill also creates grants to help states adjust teacher salaries to keep up with the cost of living.
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Who It Affects
* Full-time and part-time teachers at public elementary and secondary schools
* State educational agencies (government offices that run education in each state)
* Local educational agencies (school districts)
* Secondary school and college students who might consider becoming teachers
* Families and students who attend public schools
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Key Provisions
* The Secretary of Education awards 4-year grants to state educational agencies that apply and commit to maintaining a minimum teacher salary of $60,000 (adjusted yearly for inflation) for all full-time qualifying teachers (Sec. 3(a))
* States must show a plan for how they will continue paying the minimum salary after the 4-year grant period ends (Sec. 3(a)(C))
* States must use at least 85 percent of grant money to give subgrants to local school districts, with priority given to districts serving lower-income schools or rural areas (Sec. 3(a)(E))
* Part-time teachers receive proportional salary increases based on their hours worked (Sec. 3(a)(D)(iii))
* Grant money must supplement (add to) existing school funds, not replace them—schools cannot reduce other teacher pay or loan forgiveness programs because of this grant (Sec. 3(c))
* The Secretary may use up to 4 percent of appropriated funds to run a national campaign promoting teaching as a career and encouraging teacher diversity (Sec. 5)
* Separate grants go to states that already have a $60,000 minimum salary but cannot adjust it for inflation without federal help (Sec. 4)
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the federal government will begin distributing grant money to help states and school districts raise teacher salaries to a $60,000 yearly minimum (or higher if states choose). Teachers earning less than this amount would receive salary increases funded by federal grants. States will be required to maintain these salary levels even after grants end. The bill also requires that grant money be added on top of existing school budgets, not used to replace current funding.
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Important Definitions
* **Teacher of record**: A teacher who has been officially assigned responsibility for students' learning in a specific grade, subject or course, has developed strong teaching skills, and can deliver instruction to students with different learning styles and backgrounds (Sec. 7(4))
* **Qualifying school**: A public elementary school or public secondary school (Sec. 7(2))
* **Teacher**: Someone who provides direct classroom teaching in a qualifying school, meets state certification requirements, and has skills to improve student learning (Sec. 7(3))
* **Consumer Price Index**: A measure of inflation published by the Department of Labor that tracks price changes for consumers (Sec. 4(c))
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 882
To provide grants to State educational agencies to support State efforts
to increase teacher salaries, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
Ms. WILSON of Florida (for herself, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis-
sissippi, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCOR-
MICK, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. JOHNSON of
Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. CARSON, Ms. BLUNT ROCH-
ESTER, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. SYKES, Ms. WILLIAMS
of Georgia, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. DESAULNIER,
Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. KIM of
New Jersey, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER,
Ms. STEVENS, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. LEE of California, Mr.
CUELLAR, Ms. BROWN, Mr. LANDSMAN, Mr. MOSKOWITZ, Mrs.
FOUSHEE, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr.
GOTTHEIMER, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. WILD, Ms. DEAN of Penn-
sylvania, and Mr. LIEU) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To provide grants to State educational agencies to support
State efforts to increase teacher salaries, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
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•HR 882 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Teacher
2
Act’’.
3
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
4
Congress finds the following:
5
(1) Teachers are the backbone of our nation,
6
from the first bell to the last bell, they act as care-
7
givers, counselors, role models, advocates, and cheer-
8
leaders, helping children achieve their greatest po-
9
tential.
10
(2) What is more, teacher shortages are among
11
the most pressing threats to education access today,
12
with districts across the country forced to radically
13
adjust school offerings to respond to turnover and
14
prolonged vacancies. Every day, stories surface of
15
schools shortening their weeks, canceling courses, in-
16
creasing student-teacher ratios, and placing under-
17
prepared or temporary substitute staff in core in-
18
structional roles. Such adjustments disrupt learning,
19
take a sustained toll on teacher morale, and harm
20
student achievement.
21
(3) The teacher wage penalty, characterizing
22
lower weekly wages and overall compensation for
23
teachers compared to college-educated peers in other
24
professions, hit an all-time high of 23.5 percent in
25
2021 and continues to demonstrate significant, ad-
26
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•HR 882 IH
verse impacts on teacher recruitment and retention.
1
According to a recent report by the Teacher Salary
2
Project, over 90 percent of teachers believe low sal-
3
ary contributes to shortages in their communities
4
and over 45 percent believe their salary is insuffi-
5
cient for medium and long-term career sustain-
6
ability.
7
(4) Significant numbers of teachers report
8
maintaining multiple jobs to make ends meet or
9
being able to work in their profession only through
10
the support of a partner’s higher-paying job. This
11
instability is worse for teachers of color who are
12
more likely to work in under-resourced schools. As
13
a result, high-poverty communities face a com-
14
pounded burden.
15
(5) In August of 2022, the White House issued
16
a fact sheet renewing attention to the weak teacher
17
pipeline and calling upon legislators to use federal,
18
state, and local resources to strengthen teaching ca-
19
reer pathways and ensure competitive, livable wages.
20
This statement accompanies efforts by twenty-five
21
states to propose and enact legislation addressing
22
teacher compensation since January 2021.
23
(6) To restore stability in our schools and se-
24
cure equitable access to high-quality education, we
25
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•HR 882 IH
must raise awareness surrounding the value of
1
teaching as a profession and provide compensation
2
that reflects this value.
3
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO SUPPORT STATE EFFORTS TO IN-
4
CREASE TEACHER SALARIES.
5
(a) TEACHER SALARY INCENTIVE GRANTS.—
6
(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is
7
to ensure that each teacher who is employed full-
8
time at a qualifying school in a State earns an an-
9
nual salary for any year of employment of not less
10
than $60,000 (adjusted for inflation).
11
(2) GRANTS
FOR
MINIMUM
SALARY
THRESH-
12
OLD.—
13
(A) IN
GENERAL.—From amounts made
14
available to carry out this section, the Secretary
15
of Education shall award 4-year grants to State
16
educational agencies.
17
(B) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to re-
18
ceive such a grant, the State educational agency
19
shall submit an application to the Secretary at
20
such time, in such manner, and containing such
21
information as the Secretary may require, in-
22
cluding—
23
(i) the plan required under subpara-
24
graph (C); and
25
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•HR 882 IH
(ii) the assurances required under
1
subparagraph (D).
2
(C) SUSTAINABILITY
PLAN.—The Sec-
3
retary shall require a State educational agency
4
submitting an application under subparagraph
5
(B) to provide a plan that demonstrates how,
6
following the conclusion of the 4-year grant pe-
7
riod, such agency will continue to maintain and
8
adjust the annual base minimum salary in ac-
9
cordance with subsection (b).
10
(D) REQUIRED
ASSURANCES.—The Sec-
11
retary shall require a State educational agency
12
submitting an application under subparagraph
13
(B) to provide an assurance in such application
14
that—
15
(i) if necessary to achieve the purpose
16
of this section, the State will enact and en-
17
force legislation to establish a statewide
18
teacher salary schedule or otherwise to es-
19
tablish minimum teacher salary require-
20
ments;
21
(ii) each teacher described in para-
22
graph (1) will be compensated on a salary
23
basis at an annual rate per school year
24
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•HR 882 IH
that is not less than the salary threshold
1
described in subsection (b);
2
(iii) each teacher who is employed
3
part-time at a qualifying school in a State
4
will be compensated on a salary basis at an
5
annual rate per school year that is not less
6
than the salary threshold described in sub-
7
section (b), proportionately reduced in ac-
8
cordance with the number of hours worked
9
by such teacher;
10
(iv) priority will be given to local edu-
11
cational agencies in accordance with sub-
12
paragraph (E)(ii); and
13
(v) the State educational agency will,
14
upon request by the Secretary, carry out
15
the compliance demonstration in accord-
16
ance with subsection (c)(3).
17
(E) SUBGRANTS.—
18
(i) IN GENERAL.—A State educational
19
agency awarded a grant under this section
20
shall use not less than 85 percent of the
21
grant funds to award subgrants to local
22
educational agencies to carry out the pur-
23
pose of this section.
24
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•HR 882 IH
(ii) PRIORITY.—The State educational
1
agency, in allocating funds to local edu-
2
cational agencies under this section, shall
3
give priority to local educational agen-
4
cies—
5
(I) serving greater numbers or
6
percentages of elementary or sec-
7
ondary schools receiving funds under
8
title I of the Elementary and Sec-
9
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20
10
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); or
11
(II) with respect to which all of
12
the schools served by the local edu-
13
cational agency are designated with a
14
locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as deter-
15
mined by the Secretary.
16
(b) SALARY THRESHOLD.—
17
(1) IN GENERAL.—For school year 2024–2025,
18
the base minimum salary dollar amount shall be
19
$60,000.
20
(2) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—For school year
21
2025–2026 and each succeeding school year, the dol-
22
lar amount referred to in paragraph (1) shall be
23
deemed to refer to the dollar amount calculated
24
under this subsection for the preceding school year,
25
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•HR 882 IH
increased by a percentage equal to the annual per-
1
centage increase in the Consumer Price Index for All
2
Urban Consumers published by the Department of
3
Labor for the most recent calendar year.
4
(3) NO SALARY LIMIT.—The base minimum sal-
5
ary dollar amount may be greater than the dollar
6
amount described in paragraphs (1) or (2).
7
(c) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—
8
(1) IN GENERAL.—Grant funds received under
9
this section shall be used to supplement and not
10
supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds
11
that would, in the absence of such Federal funds, be
12
made available for teacher base salaries.
13
(2) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—A State edu-
14
cational agency or local educational agency shall not
15
reduce or adjust any teacher pay or State teacher
16
loan forgiveness program due to the eligibility of
17
teachers within the jurisdiction of such agency for
18
pay supplementation under this section.
19
(3) COMPLIANCE
DEMONSTRATION
TO
SEC-
20
RETARY.—Each State educational agency and local
21
educational agency, upon request by the Secretary,
22
shall demonstrate that the methodology used to allo-
23
cate teacher pay and State teacher loan forgiveness
24
(if applicable) to teachers and qualifying schools en-
25
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•HR 882 IH
sures that each such teacher and school receives the
1
same State and local funds for teacher compensation
2
it would receive if this Act had not been enacted.
3
SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR ADJUSTMENT OF TEACHER SALARIES.
4
(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available to
5
carry out this section, the Secretary of Education shall
6
award grants to eligible State educational agencies to pro-
7
vide, in accordance with subsection (c), cost-of-living ad-
8
justments to the annual base salary of such State and the
9
annual salary of each teacher who is employed full-time
10
at a qualifying school in such State.
11
(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive such a
12
grant, the State educational agency shall submit an appli-
13
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
14
containing such information as the Secretary may require,
15
including the demonstration required under subsection
16
(d)(2).
17
(c) ADJUSTMENT.—The annual base salary of the
18
State and the annual salary of each teacher described in
19
subsection (a) shall be increased by a percentage equal to
20
the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price
21
Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Depart-
22
ment of Labor for the most recent calendar year.
23
(d) ELIGIBLE STATE DEFINED.—In this section, the
24
term ‘‘eligible State’’ means a State—
25
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•HR 882 IH
(1) with an annual base salary of not less than
1
$60,000 for teachers who are employed full-time at
2
a qualifying school; and
3
(2) that demonstrates in the application sub-
4
mitted under subsection (b) that, due to inflation,
5
such State is unable to adjust such base salary or
6
the annual salaries of such teachers for cost-of-liv-
7
ing.
8
SEC. 5. ENHANCED AWARENESS OF THE VALUE OF TEACH-
9
ING PROFESSION.
10
The Secretary may reserve not more than 4 percent
11
of the funds appropriated under section 8 to carry out a
12
national campaign—
13
(1) to increase awareness about the importance
14
of teachers and the value of the teaching profession;
15
(2) to encourage secondary school and college
16
students to consider teaching as a professional ca-
17
reer; and
18
(3) to diversify the pool of individuals who enter
19
the teaching profession.
20
SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
21
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or oth-
22
erwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded
23
to school or local educational agency employees under Fed-
24
eral, State, or local laws (including applicable regulations,
25
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•HR 882 IH
court orders, or requirements that local educational agen-
1
cies negotiate or meet and confer in good faith) or under
2
the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda
3
of understanding, or other agreements between such em-
4
ployers and their employees.
5
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
6
In this Act:
7
(1) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘elemen-
8
tary school’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘secondary
9
school’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, ‘‘State’’, and ‘‘State edu-
10
cational agency’’ have the meanings given such
11
terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec-
12
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
13
(2) QUALIFYING
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘quali-
14
fying school’’ means, with respect to any school year,
15
a public elementary school or a public secondary
16
school.
17
(3) TEACHER.—The term ‘‘teacher’’ means an
18
individual who—
19
(A) is a teacher of record who provides di-
20
rect classroom teaching (or classroom-type
21
teaching in a nonclassroom setting) in a quali-
22
fying school for not less than the normal or
23
statutory number of hours of work for a full-
24
time or part-time teacher over a complete
25
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•HR 882 IH
school year (as determined by the State in
1
which the school is located);
2
(B) meets the applicable requirements for
3
State certification or licensure, as applicable, in
4
the State in which such school is located and in
5
the subject area in which the individual is the
6
teacher of record; and
7
(C) possesses skills and knowledge needed
8
for effective classroom practice, including with
9
respect to demonstrating the
[Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]