HILLSIDE, Ill. – A proposal sponsored by state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, to increase the minimum salary for Illinois teachers was recently signed into law. 

“Teachers dedicate their lives to creating a brighter future for our children and they deserve fair compensation for their work,” Welch said. “The current salary structure makes it difficult for new teachers to make ends meet. Especially when they are facing large sums of student loan debt due to the increased cost of higher education.”

Welch sponsored House Bill 2078, which gradually increases the state’s minimum salary for teachers to $40,000 beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Increases afterwards would be based on the Consumer Price Index. The last Illinois law guiding universal teacher pay was passed in 1980.

According to a 2018 study by the Illinois State Board of Education, in over 500 of Illinois’ 898 school districts, new teachers with a bachelor’s degree received starting salaries less than $40,000. Low, uncompetitive salaries for teachers has led to rapid turnover, decreasing the quality of education, increasing class-sizes and creating the teacher shortage Illinois now faces.

“Because Illinois has gone nearly 40 years without increasing the starting salary for new teachers, we are seeing talented educators leave the state to teach elsewhere,” Welch said. “I’ve seen firsthand the impact that great teachers can have on the education of my kids and this new law will help ensure that we are attracting the best and brightest educators to Illinois.”

NORTHLAKE, Ill. – A proposal sponsored by state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, which increases the minimum wage for Illinois teachers, was recently signed into law. 

“By increasing the starting wage for teachers we are giving a boost to our local schools in recruiting and retaining educators,” Willis said. “Quality schools start with quality teachers. This new law will help ensure that teachers in Illinois are compensated fairly for the work they do to help children in our community thrive.”

Willis sponsored House Bill 2078, which sets minimum teacher salaries at $32,076 for the 2020-2021 school year and gradually raises it by about $2,000 every year for four years. The last Illinois law guiding universal teacher pay was passed in 1980.

According to a 2018 study by the Illinois State Board of Education, in over 500 of Illinois’ 898 school districts, new teachers with a bachelor’s degree received starting salaries less than $40,000. Low, uncompetitive salaries for teachers has led to rapid turnover, decreasing the quality of education, increasing class-sizes and creating the teacher shortage Illinois now faces.

“Teachers in Illinois haven’t seen an increase in the minimum wage in over 40 years, they deserve a raise,” Willis said. “By attracting more educators to Illinois schools with higher wages we can address the teacher shortage and reduce class sizes.”

CHICAGO – Local schools will get a boost in recruiting and retaining the best teachers under a new law backed by state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, which increases the minimum starting salary for Illinois teachers.

“The foundation of every great school is built with great teachers,” Kalish said. “Illinois has gone over 40 years without raising the minimum wage for our teachers. The women and men who dedicate their lives to the future of our children deserve a raise.”

Kalish sponsored House Bill 2078, which gradually increases the state’s minimum starting salary for teachers to $40,000 beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Future increases would be automatically tied to the Consumer Price Index. The last Illinois law guiding universal teacher pay was passed in 1980.

According to a 2018 study by the Illinois State Board of Education, in over 500 of Illinois’ 898 school districts, new teachers with a bachelor’s degree received starting salaries less than $40,000. Low, uncompetitive salaries for teachers has led to rapid turnover, decreasing the quality of education, increasing class-sizes and creating the teacher shortage Illinois now faces.

“One great teacher can have a huge impact on a student’s future success,” Kalish said. “That’s why it’s so important that Illinois is paying competitive wages and attracting the best and brightest educators to our local schools.”

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Expressing appreciation for the value that teachers bring to the classroom, state Rep. LaToya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, is highlighting the signing of legislation to increase the state’s minimum salary for teachers.

“Teachers play an instrumental role in the lives of every resident, and often their contributions are overlooked,” Greenwood said. “It was time to raise our state’s minimum teacher salary requirements to reflect the needs of today, and I am hopeful that it will work to address our teacher shortage while also giving our newest teachers a better standard of living that they deserve.”

Greenwood served as a chief sponsor of House Bill 2078, which gradually increases the state’s minimum salary for teachers to $40,000 beginning in the 2023-24 school year. Increases afterwards would be based on the Consumer Price Index. This year’s legislation is the first update in decades to the state’s minimum teacher salary, and is designed in part to attract more teachers to Illinois schools. According to data this past year from the Illinois State Board of Education, there were over 1,400 unfilled teacher positions in the state.

“We need to prioritize investment in our education system to secure the best possible future for our children,” Greenwood said. “This starts with us investing in the best possible instructors and ensuring that their pay reflects the value we see in them.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Legislation introduced by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, to increase the minimum salary for teachers was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week. 

“Time and time again, I hear that teaching is one of the most important professions in our state, but we have not seen that reflected in how teachers are paid,” said Stuart. “By establishing a new minimum salary for teachers, we are ensuring that teachers know they are valued here in the state of Illinois.”

Stuart’s House Bill 2078 creates a gradual pay increase for teachers, eventually reaching a minimum salary of $40,000 by the year 2024.  Currently, the lowest starting salaries for teachers are around $27,000, which makes it difficult for districts around Illinois to retain qualified and talented teachers.  Gradual pay adjustments to those affected by the new minimum salary will begin in the 2020 -2021 school year.

“Over the past few years, we have seen a teacher shortage emerge across the state,” said Stuart. “Last school year, around 1,400 positions for teachers remained open. Establishing a new minimum salary for teachers will help to fill some of those open positions and shows that Illinois has gotten on the right track to invest in our educators and our education system.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Diane Pappas, D-Itasca, helped secure fair salaries for teachers and address the Illinois teacher shortage by passing legislation increasing their wages over the coming years.

“Teachers fill some of the most important roles in our communities, and they should be paid well,” Pappas said. “Building a stronger Illinois starts with preparing a new generation of kids for higher education and the workforce. Illinois needs trained professionals to fill the gap of skilled workers in our state, and to do that, we need people committed to being lifelong educators.”

Pappas passed House Bill 2078, which sets minimum teacher salaries at $32,076 for the 2020-2021 school year and gradually raises it by about $2,000 every year for four years. The last Illinois law guiding universal teacher pay was passed in 1980, and it set base salaries for teachers with a bachelor’s degree and 120 semester hours at just $10,000 a year.

A 2018 study by the Illinois State Board of Education found that over 500 of Illinois’ 898 school districts statewide started teachers with a bachelor’s degree at salaries less than $40,000, and 167 started them below $35,000. Low-starting salaries for teachers has led to rapid turnover, decreasing the quality of education and creating the teacher shortage Illinois now faces.

“Fair salaries don’t just draw more people towards a job; they keep them there,” Pappas said. “Teachers who have been doing their job for a long time build relationships with their communities and develop more effective lesson plans. These wage increases are just the first of many steps I plan to take to bolster Illinois’ education system.”