Latest news with #SenateBill506
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will the WV Legislature do something good? Maybe, but don't hold your breath.
West Virginia legislators are considering a bill that would give teachers pay raises based on their local cost of living. (Getty Images) The West Virginia Legislature gets a lot of attention for being a 'bad idea factory.' It's rare when a bill that's getting a lot of attention might actually be a good thing. Senate Bill 506 is one of the rarities. Of course, it's not getting attention for the good it will do — give teachers a pay raise — but rather because people don't like who gets the raises. The raise given will be determined by median home prices in the county where they teach. It will be given in the form of a 'lump sum in the amount of the market pay enhancement' once a year, and will be subject to personal income tax. The market pay enhancement for each county will be adjusted every five years. There's been a lot of outrage on social media over this. People don't understand why lawmakers think that teachers in the Eastern Panhandle should make more than teachers in Southern West Virginia. Well, it's because of the cost of living. A teacher who makes $50,000 in Jefferson County can't make that money go as far as a teacher who makes $50,000 in McDowell County. Think about the difference in the cost of living between a small town in West Virginia versus Washington, D.C. In February 2024, the median home price in D.C. was $535,000. In McDowell County, the average cost of a home is around $35,000. Because of the Eastern Panhandle's proximity to Washington, D.C., the cost of living is more similar between those locations than the Eastern Panhandle and Southern West Virginia. Let's look at what the living wages are for McDowell and Jefferson counties. A single person with one child in McDowell County, needs to make $63,333 a year (before taxes) in order to pay for food, child care, rent/mortgage, transportation, utilities, food, etc. — however, on average they receive a salary of $56,950. In Jefferson County, the required annual income jumps up to $78,123, but teachers still only make $56,950 on average. People seem to be concerned that teachers in poor counties will be getting the short end of the stick, or they'll leave to go teach in counties that pay more. This is a legitimate concern — teachers are already leaving the state to teach in neighboring states that pay more. The problem with the bill is that only 25 out of 55 counties would qualify for a potential salary enhancement, according to the state's board of education. Teachers in poorer counties will be left out, but they still deserve a raise. West Virginia ranks last in the U.S. in teacher pay. According to the National Education Association, the average salary for a teacher in the United States is $69,544. In West Virginia, teachers earn less than $53,000 (and most start at a salary of $40,339), followed by Florida at $53,098 and South Dakota at $53,153. According to the bill, the pay raises would take effect in 2026, and would cost the state an estimated $183 million. And with Gov. Patrick Morrisey's proposed budget's $400 million budget hole, making passage of this bill less likely. During his State of the State address, Morrisey did call for teacher pay raises, but he didn't request any bills to do so. SB 506 has been sent to the Senate Finance Committee. March 30 is crossover day, meaning that the bill must advance to the House by that day if it has any chance of passing. At this point, it's the only bill regarding teacher pay raises that has been discussed in either chamber. All teachers in West Virginia deserve a raise — they're grossly underpaid, and they still spend more than 40 hours each week educating and caring for and about the children in their classrooms. If we want to improve public education, this is a great place to start. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WV teacher pay raises would be contingent on area's home values, according to Senate bill
Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, speaks on March 18, 2025, on his bill that would raise certain teachers' salaries based on median home prices in an effort to attract and retain educators. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) Teacher pay raises would be determined by median home prices in their county, according to a bill being considered by the West Virginia Senate. Some educators in wealthier counties could see a massive pay bump, like in Jefferson County, where a teacher's salary could double to more than $101,000. Only 25 counties would qualify for a potential salary enhancement, according to the state's board of education, leaving out teachers in poorer counties. West Virginia has the lowest teacher pay in the nation, and the state doesn't have enough certified teachers. Sen. Craig Hart, R-Mingo, a public school teacher, said, 'I have very mixed feelings about this bill.' It wouldn't help the teachers in impoverished counties like his own, he said. The average home price in Mingo County is $64,000. 'The poorer just get poorer,' he said Tuesday in the Senate Education Committee, which advanced the measure. 'I don't want to see rich counties not have teachers, but I thought the rich counties might have the money to pay their teachers.' The state needs to attract and retain teachers in order to address its nearly bottom ranking in education outcomes, according to bill sponsor Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam. His measure, Senate Bill 506, would implement a market-based pay rate that would be based off of the area's median home prices. The state board of education would create a formula for calculating the raises. 'Let's see if we can get the way we pay our state employees more consistent with what the market requires in order to retain these employees and attract them,' Tarr said. 'You've seen the challenges we've had educating our kids, and I want teachers first.' The pay raises, which would take effect in 2026, would cost the state an estimated $183 million. Senate Education Committee members acknowledged that the price tag could halt the bill. Lawmakers are grappling with Gov. Patrick Morrisey's proposed budget that looks to close a $400 million budget hole. Five years of modest pay raises for state employees under previous Gov. Jim Justice — as public employee health insurance prices climbed — haven't moved the needle for teacher pay disparity. Morrisey called for teacher pay raises in his inaugural State of the State address, but the Republican governor didn't request any bills that could implement the raise. Border counties, particularly in the Eastern Panhandle, have struggled to retain teachers. 'It's definitely skewed in the Eastern Panhandle because of their locality to the D.C. area and the home prices there,' said state schools Deputy Superintendent Sonya White. Sen. Scott Fuller, R-Wayne, said the bill is necessary to maintain the teacher workforce in West Virginia. Wayne and Cabell counties have lost teachers to nearby Ohio and Kentucky, he said. 'It's going to require a fairly substantial bump in pay,' Fuller said. 'We have fantastic teachers … we just don't have enough of them. Then the ones we do, we lose a handful or more because of the payscale. I support this bill 100%.' Tarr said that, based on the proposed salary calculator, some of the salaries may be above what is required for a teacher. The bill will go to the Senate Finance committee for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
