Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson (D) is leading the charge to raise teacher pay. This week, Rep. Wilson filed the American Teacher Act, which would give teachers "the raise they have earned and deserve."
Calling teachers "the backbone of our education system and economy," Rep. Wilson took to social media to announce that she was leading an effort to increase the pay that teachers receive. The effort comes at a time when there's a national teacher shortage, which Wilson says indicates that "we need to get serious about prioritizing competitive salaries for educators."
Resolving the national teacher shortage is something that requires all of us to come together to tackle https://t.co/nQhLGSoZ8F
— Rep. Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) December 14, 2022
Wilson explained that the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the issue, but "teachers continued to play a critical role in our recovery, underscoring their indispensability."
Detailing that "one in five teachers works a second or third job just to make ends meet," Wilson called it "unacceptable." "There is no issue more important than giving every child the supportive teachers they need to learn and thrive" because "we are at a crossroads, and we can choose to take this issue head-on or lose America's teachers and severely impact our students' education."
With the legislation, should it pass, it would provide "a critical first step in the fight to support a livable, competitive wage for America's educators." Moreover, Wilson expressed that the bill would be "an opportunity to show our appreciation for educators and make up for the years we've undervalued this essential career."
In her announcement, Wilson also thanked New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D) for co-leading the legislation as well as thanking numerous organizations like the Teacher Salary Project, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Parent Teacher Association and others for their support on the effort.
Raising teacher's salaries has been a long discussed topic in the political realm, and the conversation gained traction after the the pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
