The Tennessee House voted Wednesday to raise the starting pay for those entering the teaching profession in the state.
HB0329 calls for an increase in salary for teachers to $42,000 for the 2023-2024 school year. That number will increase each year by $2500 until it hits $50K for the school year of 2026-2027 school year.
Included in the bill is a provision that ends the practice of payroll deduction for teacher labor organizations.
Some lawmakers felt that the two proposals should be separate considerations. In response to that consideration, an amendment was added to the bill by the Finance, Ways, and Means Committee that would separate the two items.
That amendment was negated when State Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) proposed a second amendment that would restore the bill to the Senate version, including both the salary increase and the ending of payroll deduction.
White’s amendment passed by a vote of 53-46. The vote for adoption passed by a vote of 90 – 8.
Lawmakers in support were quick to offer reassurance that the bill did not prohibit any teacher from joining a labor organization should they so choose.
During the discussion on the floor prior to the vote, Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) told fellow House members, “Dues deductions are a thing of the past. But you can still do a credit card, bank withdrawals, just about any way you want.” Lamberth added, “You can send a check – some of us still use checks. Or you can Venmo.”
A press release from Workers For Opportunity served to echo lawmaker’s concerns:
The Tennessee Education Association has bylaws that permit them to apply an “assessment” on teachers’ dues for salary increases granted by the state, effectively skimming teachers’ paychecks when they get raises above the cost of living. Because Tennessee has deducted union dues from teachers’ paychecks automatically, unions could in some cases access teachers’ pay increases before they do.
Additionally, state resources are used to collect dues, not all of which stay in the Volunteer State or are fully reinvested in teachers and classrooms. Instead, portions of these dues are exported out of state to the National Education Association, which can use these dollars for purposes that can be at odds with Tennessee teachers’ values.
Professional Educators of Tennessee, an organization that will also be impacted by the proposed legislation, thanked lawmakers for their consideration while downplaying the negative effects of ending payroll deductions in their press release, “While there will be some initial additional administrative work involved to transition all of our members currently using payroll deduction for dues payments to another method, we feel that it will ultimately be a positive move for our members as association processes are streamlined and more efficient. We will continue to champion and prioritize salary increases for our hard-working educators and school employees across the state.”
In an email exchange with The Tennessee Star, State Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), said, “I am very happy that we have recognized the importance of our teachers and have raised their pay so that they can provide for their families in the state of Tennessee.” he added, “The way this pay raise will give our state the ability to compete economically with more of the states around us for these valuable educational professionals is important to the state of Tennessee.”
Fellow legislator, State Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) joined Cepicky in celebrating the passage of the bill. “We are pleased to give our teachers a more competitive compensation rate in recognition of the outstanding service they provide to our youngest citizens,” Ragan told The Star in an email.
The following representatives voted in opposition:
- Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville)
- Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga)
- G.A. Hardaway (D-Knoxville)
- Torrey C Harris (D-Knoxville)
- Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville)
- Justin Jones (D-Nashville)
- Justin Pearson (D-Memphis)
- Dwayne Thompson (D-Cordova)
On Thursday the Senate voted to concur with the House by a vote of 21 – 11. It now heads to the Governor for his signature.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He also writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
Absolutely “Aware and Watching”, I have seen leftist school boards interfering in the class room. Your point is accurate and spot on. Many school board members frankly do not have the training, skill set nor wisdom to hold the position. Clearly parental involvement needs to be fostered. Is the responsible party for keeping the classroom an objective academic forum the school district superintendent? You’re correct, the school board can get twisted. Should the construction of that board be altered to have a like number of parents on the board? I believe there are ways the passing woke ideology can be diluted to the point of being nothing more than an annoying itch. In summary “Awake and Watching”, you make good points and I agree with you.
Many points to be made here, but I will keep it as brief as I can. First of all, many who know what is really going on here understand what this move is all about with the teacher starting salary. The fact of the matter is, is that we are facing a teacher shortage that our nation has never seen. Not only are there very few recruits coming in each year, but also, good, seasoned teachers are leaving the field. The two of those circumstances combined has led to a major teacher shortage. I think this bill is strategically placed to lure in as many new teachers as they can get.
I find it interesting that there is no mention of teachers that are already in place. I see nothing about a significant pay raise for them. I predict that this Will produce short term gain with long-term loss if this is not dealt with appropriately.
As for the union dues issue, I Believe they made the right move. there are MANY teachers that are not part of the union, And this is for various reasons. So the unions do not necessarily represent even half of the teachers that are in the schools. If it is, indeed, a factor that it costs the state more money to do those payroll deductions, then that certainly needs to stop.
Joe Blow, you made a comment about money for teachers being tied to student performance. I have read other comments of yours and other posts and would find myself agreeing with you on many things. I would recommend hearing the perspective of a conservative teacher that is actually there to do good work. I will provide a link to a guy I heard online. He’s the only one I’ve seen that gives a true inside view of things.
https://youtu.be/13N7BLSLv-c
Dr. Ken, you mention The fact that some teachers seem to push away school board and parents from decision-making in their classroom. Please understand there are multiple perspectives on this. But I will leave you with this thought, have you not seen the very leftist school boards that are going against the parents? These very school boards are also against the teacher that is trying to go in and do the right thing. Leftism has infiltrated department of education at the federal level and the state level. If you knew of the nonsense that is being handed down and mandated to the schools from those sectors it would blow your mind. I would recommend to you also, the link that I inserted above.
There was a time when teachers wanted to teach children, impart knowledge.
Now it’s just a good job.
Nope. I totally disagree with your characterization. The majority are union lackies. Having worked for Metro 30 years and I still having friends in the schools system, I can assure you that MOST consider MNPS a welfare jobs program…a Gov’t paid daycare. The teachers salaries keep going up but your kids reading and math comprehension keeps going down. The unions (SEIU and teacher) run the Metro Gov’t. Your kids education is secondary to the priorities of 1. keeping the union dues coming in and 2. keeping the Gov’t. benefits flowing.
It’s the same delusion that Metro spewed when they began requiring a college education and upping salaries for police officers assuring us that it would help the crime rate. The inverse has occurred.
It’s NOT ABOUT MONEY. It’s a cultural meltdown. It will never end until folks stop blaming external issues for internal problems. Rest assured, if you paid teachers 200K a year your kid will still most likely end up being an illiterate dolt who gets passed on via grade inflation;
I heard all of the propaganda telling us that the TN starting teacher salary was well below the national average. But that just makes sense because TN cost of living is below the national average. I am fed up with throwing more and more money at teachers and education in general without any overall improvement in student performance. Just another case of throwing money at a perceived problem with the excuse that it is “for the children”. Mr. Lee and this legislature are frantically spending as much tax money as they can before adjournment. Give me a (tax) break!
It is good news to hear teacher compensation is increasing. Having said that, teachers must recognize they are not there to indoctrinate students into the leftist ideology. They also need to be strident to include parents in over all planning. Most teachers, the majority, are very good and truly love being educators and love working with the students. There are a few malcontents who, for not always obvious reasons, push to exclude parents and school boards away from the classroom. As for union payroll deductions, frankly I think it better for the teacher to directly pay the union dues. With that, they are more likely to hold the union accountable to representing the teacher rather than the union hierarchy. That also imbues more personal control.
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