Gov. Greg Gianforte Friday signed a bill into law that will create an incentive program for public school districts to pay their early-career teachers a higher wage.
Salaries for early-career educators in Montana are among the lowest in the country, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Montana teachers as a whole are also on average among the lowest paid across the country,according to the National Education Association.
Gov. Gianforte signed House Bill 143 into law, which will allocate $2.3 million of the state’s general fund annually to incentivize districts to increase pay for their starting teachers.
According to a press release from the Montana Office of Public Instruction, the bill is expected to benefit 700 teachers entering the education field when it goes into effect in 2023.
In a statement, Gianforte said the bill would help the state retain and attract early-career teachers.