ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

 

HB 2800: teacher salary increases; public schools

Sponsor: Representative Gress, LD 4

Committee on Appropriations

Overview

Mandates each school district and charter school (public school) increase the base salary of all eligible teachers as prescribed. Creates the Pay Teachers First Fund (Fund) and appropriates a total a $1,100,000,000 in FYs 2024 and 2025 to the Fund for required teacher salary increases.

History

A public school's budget must contain: 1) the average salary of all teachers employed in the current year; 2) the average salary of all teachers employed for the previous year; and 3) the dollar and percentage increase in the average salary of all teachers employed for the current year. This information must be prominently posted on the public school's website home page. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) must compile this information and annually submit it to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) and the Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (A.R.S. § 15-189.05).

A school district governing board may reduce salaries or eliminate certificated teachers to effectuate economies in the school district's operation or to improve the conduct and administration of schools. Notice of general salary reduction must be given to each affected certificated teacher (A.R.S. § 15-544).

The Arizona Department of Administration, beginning in FY 2022, must contract with a third party to develop a transparent and easily accessible school financial transparency portal. This portal must include prescribed school level financial data for public schools (A.R.S. § 15-747).

Provisions

Teacher Salary Increases

1.   Requires each public school, regardless of whether it receives Fund monies, to revise its salary schedules to increase the base salary of all eligible teachers who are or will be employed as follows:

a)   in FY 2024, $5,000 above the FY 2023 base salary; and

b)   in FY 2025, $10,000 above the FY 2023 base salary. (Sec. 2)

2.   Stipulates the base salary increases must be the same amount for each eligible teacher, regardless of teacher experience levels or teaching assignments. (Sec. 2)

3.   Prohibits a public school from reducing the base salary of eligible teachers who are or will be employed below the base salary schedule reported to ADE in FY 2025. (Sec. 2)

4.   ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal NoteAllows a public school to adjust an individual teacher's salary in a manner that is consistent with the applicable base salary schedule. (Sec. 2)

5.   Defines eligible teacher to:

a)   mean a person who:

i.   is employed by an Arizona public school for a full school day or class load, or their equivalents, as determined by ADE; and

ii. devotes more than 50% of their time to classroom teaching;

b)   include current teachers and teachers who begin work after the general effective date; and

c)   exclude an administrator or a person who has been designated in either of the two lowest teacher performance classifications. (Sec. 2)

6.   Defines classroom teaching. (Sec. 2)

Fund

7.   Establishes the Fund and mandates Fund monies be used for the required salary increases for eligible teachers. (Sec. 2)

8.   Authorizes Fund monies to be used for up to 50% of associated employee-related expense cost increases. (Sec. 2)

9.   States the Fund consists of legislative appropriations and that monies are continuously appropriated and exempt from lapsing. (Sec. 2)

10.  Directs ADE to administer the Fund and establish procedures for determining whether public schools are eligible to receive Fund monies. (Sec. 2)

11.  Allows a public school to receive Fund monies if it complies with the statutory requirements for the school financial transparency portal. (Sec. 2)

12.  Instructs ADE to allocate Fund monies to each eligible public school as follows:

a)   in FY 2024, $5,000 per eligible teacher to fund the required FY 2024 salary increases; and

b)   beginning in FY 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, $10,000 per eligible teacher to fund the required FY 2025 salary increases. (Sec. 2)

13.  Stipulates an eligible public school may receive the prescribed per teacher amounts only for the lesser of the number of eligible teachers that:

a)   are employed by the school; or

b)   would be employed by the school if it had 15 students per eligible teacher. (Sec. 2)

14.  Requires ADE, by May 30 annually, to provide JLBC with an estimate of the amount required to pay for Fund allocations for the following fiscal year. (Sec. 2)

15.  Instructs ADE to add the amount allocated to each public school from the Fund to the base support level that would otherwise be computed for the public school for each fiscal year. (Sec. 2)

16.  Appropriates the following amounts from the state General Fund to the Fund:

a)   in FY 2024, $400,000,000; and

b)   in FY 2025, $700,000,000. (Sec. 5)

17.  Exempts the appropriations from lapsing. (Sec. 5)

18.  States the Legislature intends the $700,000,000 appropriation in FY 2025 be considered ongoing funding in future years. (Sec. 5)

Public School Budgets

19.  Requires, in FY 2024, the budgets submitted by public schools to include:

a)   the salary schedules for all eligible teachers for the current fiscal year without the required teacher salary increases; and

b)   the revised salary schedules for eligible teachers for the current fiscal year with the required teacher salary increases. (Sec. 4)

20.  Mandates public schools include the following in total compensation statements:

a)   in FY 2024, a statement notifying eligible teachers that the Legislature provided them a $5,000 base salary increase; and

b)   in FY 2025, a statement notifying eligible teachers that the Legislature provided them an additional $5,000 year-over-year base salary increase, for a combined total of $10,000 base salary increases since FY 2023. (Sec. 4)

21.  Adds that each public school's budget must include:

a)   the salary schedule for eligible teachers employed for the current year; and

b)   a statement identifying the number of eligible teachers employed for the current year. (Sec. 1, 3)

Miscellaneous

22.  Conditions the enactment of this legislation on the enactment of House Bill 2537, relating to school assessment and accountability. (Sec. 6)

23.  Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 3)

 

 

 

 

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                        HB 2800

Initials CH       Page 0 Appropriations

 

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