House Committee Approves Pay Raise for Teachers

A House committee has approved an education budget that would give most teachers a four percent pay raise.

The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday gave a unanimous approval to the $6.3 billion spending plan for 2017.

The four percent raise would go to teachers making less than $75,000 annually. Others would get a two percent raise.

The budget would also provide money to hire an additional 475 teachers in grades seven through 12.

Budget Chairman Bill Poole of Tuscaloosa says the budget makes the best use of the state’s finite resources.

Susan Kennedy of the Alabama Education Association told committee members that teachers were grateful for the raise but asked if more was possible. She says inflation and costs had chipped away at educators’ salaries.

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