Proposed Teacher Salary Increases, 2021
Updated February 2021
| Arkansas | $2,000 over two years |
| Kentucky | $1,000 |
| North Carolina | $2,500 educator bonuses that would be paid in April 2021 |
| South Carolina |
$35 million to resume annual step increases that were paused in 2020-21 because the state is still operating under the 2019-20 budget via continuing resolution. |
| Tennessee | Tennessee legislators met in a special session on education last month; one of the measures approved, Senate Bill 9/Public Chapter 4, appropriated $42.8 million for the remainder of the 2020-21 fiscal year to Basic Education Program funding which is sufficient for a 2% raise. 1 |
| Virginia |
2% in both 2020-21 and 2021-22 was in the biennial budget initially approved in March but was amended out prior to the start of the fiscal year. The governor’s mid-biennium recommended amendments include a 2% one-time pay bonus in 2021-22 for teachers, while the House has a 5% salary increase and the Senate a 3% salary increase for 2021-22 in their versions of the amendments. |
Notes: 1. Legislators provided additional formula funds for the increases, but local districts determine funding allocations and some teacher salaries are paid with non-formula funds. These are non-recurring funds, so the legislature would have to make another appropriation before July to continue the increase amount into 2021-22.