The Tennessee House voted Wednesday to raise the starting pay for those entering the teaching profession in the state.
HB0329 calls for an increase in salary for teachers to $42,000 for the 2023-2024 school year. That number will increase each year by $2500 until it hits $50K for the school year of 2026-2027 school year.
Included in the bill is a provision that ends the practice of payroll deduction for teacher labor organizations.
Some lawmakers felt that the two proposals should be separate considerations. In response to that consideration, an amendment was added to the bill by the Finance, Ways, and Means Committee that would separate the two items.
That amendment was negated when State Representative Mark White (R-Memphis) proposed a second amendment that would restore the bill to the Senate version, including both the salary increase and the ending of payroll deduction.
White’s amendment passed by a vote of 53-46. The vote for adoption passed by a vote of 90 – 8.
Lawmakers in support were quick to offer reassurance that the bill did not prohibit any teacher from joining a labor organization should they so choose.
During the discussion on the floor prior to the vote, Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland) told fellow House members, “Dues deductions are a thing of the past. But you can still do a credit card, bank withdrawals, just about any way you want.” Lamberth added, “You can send a check – some of us still use checks. Or you can Venmo.”
A press release from Workers For Opportunity served to echo lawmaker’s concerns:
The Tennessee Education Association has bylaws that permit them to apply an “assessment” on teachers’ dues for salary increases granted by the state, effectively skimming teachers’ paychecks when they get raises above the cost of living. Because Tennessee has deducted union dues from teachers’ paychecks automatically, unions could in some cases access teachers’ pay increases before they do.
Additionally, state resources are used to collect dues, not all of which stay in the Volunteer State or are fully reinvested in teachers and classrooms. Instead, portions of these dues are exported out of state to the National Education Association, which can use these dollars for purposes that can be at odds with Tennessee teachers’ values.
Professional Educators of Tennessee, an organization that will also be impacted by the proposed legislation, thanked lawmakers for their consideration while downplaying the negative effects of ending payroll deductions in their press release, “While there will be some initial additional administrative work involved to transition all of our members currently using payroll deduction for dues payments to another method, we feel that it will ultimately be a positive move for our members as association processes are streamlined and more efficient. We will continue to champion and prioritize salary increases for our hard-working educators and school employees across the state.”
In an email exchange with The Tennessee Star, State Rep. Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), said, “I am very happy that we have recognized the importance of our teachers and have raised their pay so that they can provide for their families in the state of Tennessee.” he added, “The way this pay raise will give our state the ability to compete economically with more of the states around us for these valuable educational professionals is important to the state of Tennessee.”
Fellow legislator, State Rep. John Ragan (R-Oak Ridge) joined Cepicky in celebrating the passage of the bill. “We are pleased to give our teachers a more competitive compensation rate in recognition of the outstanding service they provide to our youngest citizens,” Ragan told The Star in an email.
The following representatives voted in opposition:
- Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville)
- Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga)
- G.A. Hardaway (D-Knoxville)
- Torrey C Harris (D-Knoxville)
- Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville)
- Justin Jones (D-Nashville)
- Justin Pearson (D-Memphis)
- Dwayne Thompson (D-Cordova)
On Thursday the Senate voted to concur with the House by a vote of 21 – 11. It now heads to the Governor for his signature.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He also writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
