Pritzker signs the bill of raising minimum salary of teachers up to $40000

JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, has signed a bill into law in which the minimum salary of the teachers has been set $40000. The bill will take effect next year for which the salary is set $3200. The teachers of Illinois will receive a minimum salary of $4000 from the school year 2023-24. The bill was signed by the governor after acknowledging the teachers’ shortage in the state.

The current minimum salary of the teachers in the state is about $10000 on average. A report found that the low salary was the main reason behind the shortage of teachers in southern and central Illinois. Pritzker said, “The hike in pay will affect about 8000 positions statewide.” The signing ceremony of the bill was held in Springfield.

Pritzker said in the signing ceremony, “We have a teacher shortage in this state because the state has not really stepped up to its obligation to fund schools.” The bill states that the state values its teachers, according to Pritzker. The teachers will be able to make $40000 per year from the first day of 2023. Pritzker said that I felt proud in helping the teachers by making sure they earn what they are worth.

It was the demand of the teachers and union leaders. They suggested that the higher minimum wages could solve the issue of teacher shortage in central and southern Illinois. Kathi Griffin, the president of the Illinois Education Association, said, “I want to thank Illinois Governor and the General Assembly on behalf of 135000 members of the association.”

Jen White, from Illinois Federation of Teachers, said, “The teacher shortage in the state is at crisis level.” It is hard for the teachers to meet the ends on their current salaries, according to White. The teachers of Illinois state complained that they had to work two jobs at a time for meeting their daily requirements. Bentley Stewart, a school teacher, said, “The bill is great news for us and other current and future teachers.”