A first-of-its-kind state report on teacher pay in Montana shows the average educator can’t afford housing and receives wages that haven’t kept pace with inflation.
Montana is one of just two states nationwide in which wage growth has outpaced rising prices on average since 2020. Public school teachers, however, haven’t reaped that reward.
That’s a key takeaway from the state labor department’s investigation into teacher salaries. The department found educator wages have fallen nearly 3% behind the cost of living, despite efforts from many districts to improve pay for new teachers in particular.
Amanda Curtis leads the state teacher’s union, the Montana Federation of Public Employees. She says she’s optimistic that state lawmakers this year recognize the work that needs to be done to boost teacher salaries.
“I don't feel like it’s a fight,” Curtis told MTPR in a phone interview. “I feel like we are all committed to increasing teacher pay.”
The data is coloring ongoing efforts in the state Legislature to improve teacher salaries, particularly for workers new to the field. The proposed STARS Act aims to tackle several pay issues raised in the report. According to legislative analysts, the policy could double state payments to schools for each licensed teacher they employ — so long as their teachers make no less than $41,000 annually.
The proposed bill may also allow districts in areas with high housing costs to ask their voters for more money through levies. The typical teacher purchasing an average home in Montana would spend more than half of their income on monthly payments, according to the labor department. Housing is least affordable for teachers in the western half of the state.
Republican Rep. Llew Jones, from Conrad, is shepherding the STARS Act. He says it will likely be ready to start the Legislative process this week.
