By Benjamin Yount, Illinois News Network
Some Illinois lawmakers are on board with a plan to require school boards to pay starting teachers $40,000 a year without providing additional funding for districts.
The Illinois House on Thursday narrowly approved the plan, House Bill 5175, to require local schools to pay new teachers in the state at least $40,000 annually. The vote was 61-38, mostly along party lines, in the House. State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, is driving the plan. He said it’s about fairness.
“Let’s set a mark that we in this General Assembly are going to try and address the shortage of teachers in Illinois,” Hoffman said. “And that we’re going to pay them a decent wage.”