If legislation passed by the Iowa House of Representatives makes its way through the Senate to the Governor's desk, starting teacher salaries in Iowa would get a big boost.
- The minimum starting salary for a teacher would be $47,500.
- Paraprofessionals, including cooks and custodians, would make at least $15 an hour.
- Rep. Brent Siegrist: "... And the urban schools scoop up the rural teachers because they can pay more. This will allow them to be a little bit more competitive."
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Why teach in a small school district, if you can make more money in a large one? I'm Southwest Iowa reporter Katrina Markel.
The Iowa House of Representatives advanced a bill that some think will help level the playing field for rural districts competing for employees.
If this becomes law, the beginning, minimum salary (for teachers) would be more than $47,000 a year. That's up from about $33,000. It also would boost the hourly wage for paraprofessionals, including classroom aides, school cooks, and custodians.
Council Bluffs State Representative Brent Siegrist, an educator by trade, says the big schools in his district might not benefit as much as rural schools elsewhere, but he still supports it.
"You have to take a bigger view sometimes and rural schools have trouble with recruitment,” said Siegrist. “And the urban schools scoop up the rural teachers because they can pay more. This will allow them to be a little bit more competitive."
The bill will have to be voted on by the Senate and signed by the governor before it becomes law.
Katrina Markel, your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter
