Congress Needs to Raise Teacher Pay Now! Support the RAISE Act!

Public education is critical for a healthy democracy. Yet, teachers across the nation are forced to pay for basic school supplies like pens, paper, and tissues with their own money while they take on second or even third jobs just to make ends meet. Why? Because teachers bring home a much smaller paycheck than college-educated peers in similar professions. In fact, across the United States, the average teacher brings home 23.5% less than other comparable college-educated workers. This kind of wage disparity leads to a situation where people who desire to be teachers are driven out of the profession altogether just to seek work that properly pays them for the amount of training and education they have. This is why it is more important than ever for Congress to take action to address teacher pay. There are many ways for Congress to do so, including a bill recently introduced in the Senate: S 2510, The Respect, Advancement, and Increasing Support for Educators (RAISE) Act, which uses tax credits to increase teacher salaries. Whether it be the RAISE Act or different legislation to increase salaries across the board, Congress can no longer sit on the sidelines while our nation's educators are underpaid and under attack. Please, raise teacher pay now. Thanks.