Governor Bruce Rauner is weighing the impact of legislation that would require higher minimum teacher salaries.
When it comes to the impact of legislation that would eventually require a starting salary of $40,000, Rauner says he’s a strong advocate for getting teachers more pay. He says he wants the best teachers in America, and Illinois already has many.
In Rauner’s mind, size matters: “We gotta be careful that we don’t crush small communities that have very limited resources and to be told they have to pay X (amount of dollars),” Rauner said. “That could bankrupt some small school districts. So we gotta find a way to help some schools pay their teachers more.” He added that he has $1.4 billion more from the state for schools than when he became governor.
Rauner believes the state can help school districts fund the higher salaries without spending a dime. “Stop mandating curriculums,” Rauner added. “Stop mandating how schools are run. Let’s get the cost structure off of our schools that Springfield brings. That will free up money – and we can pay our teachers more too.” The legislation was sent to the Governor last week.