Montana News
Lawmakers outline plan to boost teacher pay, school funding
With Montana News, I'm Eleanor Smith. Montana lawmakers this week offered a first look at plans to boost teacher pay and school funding. MTPR's Austin Amistoy reports. The new plan would sharply increase the money available to schools that raised their starting teacher pay above $40,000. It would also offer extra funding to districts with high housing costs and graduating students with college or industry credits. The plan could cost up to $50 million, but that figure will likely shift if the committee forwards the legislation for the upcoming session. Republican Representative David Beatty leads the interim education committee that's been working on the proposal. "I think this is a great opportunity. We want to get it right. We want to start working now. And obviously there'll be many more conversations on this particular topic." School advocacy groups expressed optimism about the policy at a recent committee meeting. State support for Montana's public schools has fallen as much as $100 million behind inflation over the last few years. According to Montana School Board's Association Director Lance Melton, the committee could vote in December to send the plan to the legislature for further debate. In Missoula, I'm Austin Amistoy.