The Illinois Senate voted Thursday to raise the minimum salary for teachers. The previous minimum of $9,000 was set back in the 1980s and needs updating says State Senator Andy Manar. He says many teachers in Illinois are living in poverty.
Manar’s bill raises the salary minimum to 32 thousand dollars starting with the 2019-2020 school year and gradually increases to 40 thousand by 2022. Critics wonder how schools will pay for the new mandate. The bill now moves to the House.