[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2481 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2481
To ensure that teachers are paid a livable and competitive salary
throughout their career, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 28, 2025
Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Markey, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Welch,
Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Padilla) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To ensure that teachers are paid a livable and competitive salary
throughout their career, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Pay Teachers
Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purposes.
Sec. 3. Findings.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
Sec. 5. Regulations; special rule.
TITLE I--INCREASING FEDERAL INVESTMENTS IN OUR NATION'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Sec. 101. Mandatory appropriations for part A of title I of the ESEA.
Sec. 102. Mandatory appropriations for rural education.
Sec. 103. Mandatory appropriations for impact aid.
Sec. 104. Mandatory appropriations for Bureau of Indian Education.
TITLE II--SUPPORTING OUR NATION'S EDUCATORS
PART A--Ensuring Teachers Are Paid a Livable and Competitive Wage
Sec. 201. Definitions.
Sec. 202. State Teacher Pay Plan Addendum.
Sec. 203. Paying teachers livable and competitive salaries and wages.
Sec. 204. Collective bargaining and related rules.
PART B--Modernizing the Teaching Profession To Improve Student Learning
Sec. 211. Definitions.
Sec. 212. State commissions to advance the teaching profession.
Sec. 213. Advancing the teaching profession grants.
Sec. 214. Pay Paraprofessionals and Education Support Staff Act.
Sec. 215. Rules.
PART C--Technical Assistance; Reporting; Administration; Study
Sec. 221. Annual State report to the Secretary.
Sec. 222. Promoting the equitable distribution of in-field,
experienced, and effective teachers.
Sec. 223. Improving resource equity.
Sec. 224. Strengthening per-pupil expenditure reporting.
Sec. 225. State administration.
Sec. 226. National Academies study to improve ESEA's resource equity
requirements.
TITLE III--INVESTING IN EDUCATOR PREPARATION AND THE TEACHING PIPELINE
Sec. 301. Mandatory appropriations for the Teacher Quality Partnerships
and Grow Your Own programs.
Sec. 302. Mandatory appropriations for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers
of Excellence program.
Sec. 303. Mandatory appropriations for personnel development to improve
services and results for children with
disabilities under part D of IDEA.
Sec. 304. Mandatory appropriations for the Supporting Effective
Educator Development program.
Sec. 305. Mandatory appropriations for the Teacher and School Leader
Incentive program to support continued
teacher growth and contributions to student
learning.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are to--
(1) ensure public elementary and secondary school teachers
earn a livable salary and are compensated with a career-based
competitive salary that--
(A) includes a starting annual base salary of not
less than $60,000; and
(B) increases regularly throughout a teacher's
career;
(2) ensure paraprofessionals and education support staff
are paid a living wage of not less than $45,000 per year or
$30.00 an hour;
(3) increase Federal investments in public schools, and
call upon States and local governments to increase investments
in public education in order to promote educational equity,
including by ensuring that every public school student is
taught by a qualified teacher; and
(4) invest in a diverse teacher workforce, by strengthening
the educator pipeline and supporting career development and
advancement through expanded teacher leadership and
professional advancement opportunities.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Public school teachers in the United States have one of
the toughest, most demanding, and most under-appreciated jobs
in the United States.
(2) In the majority of States, public elementary and
secondary school teachers do not earn a livable and competitive
salary. According to the 2024 report by the Economic Policy
Institute, on average, teachers in 2023 earned 5.1 percent less
than teachers did in 1996, while during the same time period,
the wages for other similarly-educated professionals increased
by 30 percent.
(3) Many teachers across the country are working multiple
jobs and have to rely on public assistance programs just to
make ends meet. According to the Southern Regional Education
Board, in 36 States, the average teacher salary is low enough
that mid-career teachers who are the head of household for a
family of 4 qualify for government benefits. According to a
University of California, Berkeley study, between 2014 and
2016, 21 percent of elementary and middle school teachers were
part of families enrolled in at least one of the following
public assistance programs:
(A) The Earned Income Tax Credit under section 32
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(B) The Medicaid program.
(C) The Children's Health Insurance program.
(D) The supplemental nutrition assistance program
established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
(E) The program of block grants to States for
temporary assistance for needy families established
under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 601 et seq.).
(4) One estimate shows that in school year 2020-2021, 17
percent of public school teachers worked multiple jobs during
the school year, such as working in restaurants or driving for
ride-share platforms.
(5) The reality for paraprofessionals and education support
staff is even more troubling. In school year 2022-23, full-time
workers earned on average $33,756, with 38 percent of workers
earning less than $25,000 and 12.5 percent earning less than
$15,000. This is no way to treat the critical school staff who
manage our school grounds, keep our students safe, drive them
to school, and work in our Nation's classrooms.
(6) According to the National Education Association, the
average starting teacher salary in the United States was
$44,530 in the 2022-2023 school year. This is an increase of
3.9 percent over the previous school year. 28.6 percent of
school districts pay their starting teachers less than $40,000,
and those districts employ 17.9 percent of teachers nationwide.
Only 12.9 percent of starting teachers nationwide earn a salary
of $60,000 or more. Nationwide, 38 percent of teachers earn
less than $60,000.
(7) According to a 2022 study from the Annenberg Institute
at Brown University, the most recent national data shows that
nearly 200,000 teaching positions were either vacant or held by
underqualified teachers. This study, and others, consistently
demonstrate that teacher shortages disproportionately impact
schools serving the most students of color and from low-income
backgrounds.
(8) Nearly 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), required the provision of public
education to all people ``on equal terms,'' children of color,
children with disabilities, and children in low-income
communities are routinely denied a high-quality education. The
Civil Rights Data Collection of the Office for Civil Rights of
the Department of Education shows that schools with high
enrollment of students of color are 4 times as likely to employ
uncertified teachers compared to schools with low enrollment of
students of color. Additional studies show that teachers with
less than 3 years of experience are concentrated in schools
serving a high percentage of students from low-income
backgrounds and students of color.
(9) Research, including a study by the Economic Policy
Institute, has found that raising teacher salaries helps
attract youth into teaching, encourages teachers to teach in
underserved schools, improves teacher retention and morale, and
bolsters student academic outcomes. According to the Learning
Policy Institute, controlling for other factors, teachers
employed by local educational agencies with the highest salary
schedules are 31 percent less likely to leave than teachers
employed by local educational agencies with lower pay scales.
(10) According to the Consortium for Policy Research in
Education at the University of Pennsylvania, teachers who enter
the profession through comprehensive and high-quality pathways
are 2 to 3 times more likely to remain in the profession than
underprepared teachers who enter through less than
comprehensive pathways.
(11) Several studies have shown the many benefits of
providing opportunities for teacher leadership, which include
improving instructional practice, increasing academic and other
positive outcomes for students, and increasing teacher
retention.
(12) Teachers in the United States are systemically
underpaid compared to their similarly educated peers. According
to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
teachers in the United States are paid 64 percent what
similarly-educated professionals earn, which is a much more
extreme pay gap than in other industrialized nations.
(13) Raising teacher salaries to at least $60,000 a year,
ensuring competitive pay throughout the lifetime of the
teaching career, and empowering teachers are some of the most
important steps the United States can take to address the
teacher shortage crisis and ensure all students have access to
qualified teachers and educational opportunity. Paying teachers
as the professionals they are is critical in order to honor the
work of educators, restore respect to the teaching profession,
and create a high-quality public education system that serves
the needs of students, families, and teachers.
(14) Most paraprofessionals and education support staff are
employed to work only 36 to 38 hours per week and are laid off
during the summer.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Annual adjustment percentage.--The term ``annual
adjustment percentage'', with respect to appropriations made
under this Act for a fiscal year, means a percentage equal to
the estimated percentage change in the Consumer Price Index, as
determined by the Secretary of Education, for the most recent
calendar year ending prior to the beginning of such fiscal
year.
(2) Consumer price index.--The term ``Consumer Price
Index'' has the meaning given the term in section 478(f) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087rr(f)).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
SEC. 5. REGULATIONS; SPECIAL RULE.
(a) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall issue final regulations related to the
implementation of this Act and the amendments made by this Act,
including the provisions of subsection (i) of section 1111, section
2253, and 2254 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 6311), as added by this Act.
(b) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Secretary may take such steps as the Secretary determines are
reasonably necessary to implement the provisions of this Act and the
amendments made by this Act.
TITLE I--INCREASING FEDERAL INVESTMENTS IN OUR NATION'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SEC. 101. MANDATORY APPROPRIATIONS FOR PART A OF TITLE I OF THE ESEA.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there are appropriated,
out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the
Secretary to carry out part A of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.)--
(1) for fiscal year 2026, $36,813,604,000; and
(2) for each succeeding fiscal year, the amount
appropriated under this section for the preceding fiscal year,
increased by the annual adjustment percentage.
SEC. 102. MANDATORY APPROPRIATIONS FOR RURAL EDUCATION.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there are appropriated,
out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the
Secretary to carry out part B of title V of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7341 et seq.)--
(1) for fiscal year 2026, $440,000,000; and
(2) for each succeeding fiscal year, the amount
appropriated under this section for the preceding fiscal year,
increased by the annual adjustment percentage.
SEC. 103. MANDATORY APPROPRIATIONS FOR IMPACT AID.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there are appropriated,
out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the
Secretary to provide payments for eligible federally connected children
under section 7003(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7703(b))--
(1) for fiscal year 2026, $1,474,000,000; and
(2) for each succeeding fiscal year, the amount
appropriated under this section for the preceding fiscal year,
increased by the annual adjustment percentage.
SEC. 104. MANDATORY APPROPRIATIONS FOR BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION.
In addition to amounts otherwise available, there are appropriated,
out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the
Bureau to be allocated by the Director of the Bureau for programs or
activities operated or funded by the Bureau for Bureau-funded schools--
(1) for fiscal year 2026, $1,131,000,000; and
(2) for each succeeding fiscal year, the amount
appropriated under this section for the preceding fiscal year,
increased by the annual adjustment percentage.
TITLE II--SUPPORTING OUR NATION'S EDUCATORS
PART A--ENSURING TEACHERS ARE PAID A LIVABLE AND COMPETITIVE WAGE
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
(a) In General.--Subpart 1 of part A of title I of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 1120. DEFINITIONS RELATING TO TEACHER SALARIES.
``(a) In General.--In this subpart:
``(1) Annual adjustment percentage.--The term `annual
adjustment percentage', with respect to a fiscal year, means 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.
``(2) Annual base salary.--The term `annual base salary'--
``(A) means the base salary, calculated as an
annual rate of pay, of a full-time teacher; and
``(B) excludes--
``(i) any additional compensation earned by
the teacher for taking on additional
responsibilities (such as coaching or teaching
during the summer or after school); and
``(ii) bonuses, stipends, and awards.
``(3) Consumer price index.--The term `Consumer Price
Index' has the meaning given the term in section 478(f) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965.
``(4) Minimum salary for teachers.--The term `minimum
salary for teachers' means an amount, determined by the State,
that all full-time teachers employed by a local educational
agency are, at a minimum, required by the State to be
compensated by such agency as their annual base salary, and
which--
``(A) for teachers in their first year of teaching,
shall be an annual rate of pay that is not less than
the amount described in subsection (b); and
``(B) for teachers with more than 2 years of
experience, shall be an annual rate of pay that--
``(i) is greater than the amount described
in subsection (b); and
``(ii) increases as the experience of a
teacher increases.
``(5) Teacher.--The term `teacher' means--
``(A) an employee of a local educational agency--
``(i) with a primary duty of teaching and
who is employed and engaged in teaching in a
public elementary school or secondary school
served by such agency and is not a substitute
teacher;
``(ii) who fully meets all applicable
public elementary school or secondary school
teacher certification and licensure
requirements of the State in which the school
is located; and
``(iii) if the teacher is a special
education teacher, who meets the qualifications
described in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;
and
``(B) other full-time public elementary school or
secondary school personnel employed by a local
educational agency whose annual base salary is
determined in accordance with such agency's salary
schedule or system for a full-time teacher.
``(b) Special Rule.--
``(1) In general.--For each fiscal year, the amount