Schools across the country are facing a problem: a mass exodus of teachers who no longer believe they are being compensated enough for the issues they have to deal with daily.
Lawmakers are hoping to curb teachers leaving their positions though, and have introduced a new bill that would raise a teacher's minimum salaries to $60,000.
Rep. Frederica Wilson introduced the legislation Wednesday in a proposal that the career educator hopes the next Congress will take up in the new year.
Wilson told ABC News, "I think that the pandemic itself gave us a great snapshot view of how important teachers are. This is a period in our history that we should realize the value of our children having access to good teachers and good education."
Along with former teacher Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, Wilson is co-leading the American Teacher Act, which would incentivize states to raise their minimum teacher salaries to $60,000 for public K-12 schools through a grant program at the Department of Education.
The legislation would also mandate yearly increases congruent to inflation to support states' ongoing efforts to ensure competitive wages.
If the bill were to become law, states would need to opt-in to the federally funded short-term grants in order to raise their teacher salary minimums.
The exact details on appropriations for the grants have yet to be drafted.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
