Teacher salary raise places Tennessee among the 10 highest teacher salaries in USA

Elizabeth Jackson, Staff Writer

In May 2023, Governor Bill Lee passed an act that projected Tennessee teacher salaries to rise to $50,000 annually by 2026.

This will benefit Tennessee by potentially drawing in more teachers for understaffed schools. This raise also helps teachers make a living salary, especially considering how much of an impact they have on future generations. The act was passed on May 16, 2023, as part of the Teacher Paycheck Protection Act, which “protects tax dollars from being used to benefit organizations like labor unions,” Lee said.

The previous raise was $35,000 in 2019, a low amount considering Tennessee’s average cost of living is approximately $42,000. Teachers educate the leaders of tomorrow but still make a meager amount of money in the state.

Lee describes this raise as the “largest salary increase in Tennessee history,” a positive shift for educators statewide. Tennessee is also spotlighted as one of the top 10 highest paying states for teachers across the country, which is bound to draw in more teachers seeking higher wages and inspire future educators to pursue a career in teaching.

This act was done because teacher paychecks were being cut down without teachers' knowledge, placing some teachers in poverty. This made teachers search for higher-paying jobs and caused a lack of teachers in schools, leading to over 3,000 uneducated substitutes educating the state’s youth. This raise aims to increase the number of teachers and improve their state of living, potentially providing better education for students in Cookeville High School and surrounding high schools.