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Bice proposes 5 percent raise for teachers in 2017

Brian Lyman
Montgomery Advertiser

The Alabama Department of Education will propose raising teacher salaries over the next three years, hoping to address the toll taken on educators' salaries by inflation and new benefit expenses, as well as draw more young people into the profession.

State Superintendent Tommy Bice speaks during a news conference announcing the First Book partnership held at Highland Avenue Elementary School in Montgomery, Ala. Wednesday October 8, 2014.

Alabama State Superintendent Tommy Bice said Thursday the department would recommend raising teachers' salaries 5 percent in fiscal year 2017, which begins next October.

"If you think about our greatest investment in public education, it's our people and we're asking more of our people than we have in a long time," Bice told the Alabama State Board of Education at a work session. "That's a hard sell."

The Alabama Legislature will have the final word on public school spending next year. The raise would cost $160 million, according to the department. Bice said he would seek further raises in 2018 and 2019, with the goal of bringing teacher salaries in line with inflation.

Incoming Senate Finance and Taxation Education chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said Thursday the Legislature had the "desire" for pay raises.

"It would appear the 2017 budget might offer that opportunity," Orr said in a phone interview. "We want to wait and see what the revenue projections are before any decision is made. But that is certainly one thing we want to look at in the coming session."

Alabama teachers with a bachelor's degree start at $36,867 a year. A master's degree bumps that starting salary to $42,395. The groups top out at $46,917 and $53,792. The ceiling for the highest pay grade — a teacher with a doctorate and 27 years' experience — is $62,040.

After a 7 percent raise in 2008, educators have received one salary increase — a 2 percent increase in 2013 — in the past seven years. The 2013 increase took place at the same time as teachers' retirement costs went up. Bice said Thursday the raise amounted to "a wash." The department also estimates inflation has gone up 9.75 percent since 2008.

Bice said he would propose a higher increase if other expenses, such as insurance or pensions, went up.

"We would have to look at a COLA increase if they're looking at another increase (in costs)," Bice said.

Like other states, Alabama has seen fewer people pursuing teaching careers in recent years. Bice cited statistics showing that the number of education majors in Alabama had fallen 45.5 percent since 2008.

"They're having a hard time finding an elementary teacher in Fort Payne," Bice said. "That's unheard of."

According to the department, the number of teachers in Alabama fell from 49,364 in 2008 to 46,480 in 2015.

The department will seek a $350 million funding increase for 2017, about a 5.8 percent increase over this year's $6 billion budget . The department will also be looking for funding to reduce class sizes and to increase funding for school supplies, technology, textbooks and transportation.

Many board members expressed enthusiasm for the proposal, noting that lack of state funding had forced school districts to address needs with local funding that would otherwise go for other programs.

Board member Mary Scott Hunter, a Republican, said her company was "employee-centered," with the belief that taking care of employees would lead to better service for customers.

"If we take care of our employees, they will take care of what they need to take care of," she said. "If we get high quality people who are accountable, a lot of the problems we worry about will take care of themselves."

Ella Bell, a Democrat whose district includes Montgomery, said teachers need to receive a living wage.

"We do not provide a livable wage as part of what we talk about when we talk about compensating people for doing the work at the high level that we expect to be done," she said.

A 1 percent pay raise costs between $35 and $40 million.

Legislative budget chairs in the past have shown reluctance to offer salary increases of more than 2 percent, saying the raises need to be sustainable .

Bice said looking at the salary matrix was another goal, with the hope of providing more funding for experienced teachers.

"It has a negative impact long term," he said. "We would eventually want to look at that as well."

Orr also suggested the matrix might be something to look at.

"If you get a master's degree certification you bump up there, but we tend to fall behind our peers after the entry level as the teacher continues to teach," he said.