2025 Summary of Legislative Priorities

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

Salary Enhancement – Increase teachers’ starting salaries and provide tiered salary enhancement so that educators across the salary schedule are compensated comparably to other similarly educated professionals

Fairness in the Workplace – Require a “just cause” standard of discipline providing teachers the same rights, protections, and justice enjoyed by noncertified staff

Expand Access – Expand and fully fund educator diversity scholarships for students in all districts

Support for Aspiring Educators – Reduce fees for teaching certification programs and eliminate costs of edTPA for college students

Successful School Communities

Special Education – Reduce or cap caseloads for special education teachers and paraeducators

Class Size – Provide district incentives to reduce class sizes

English Learners – Reduce or cap caseloads for EL teachers and paraeducators

School Indoor Air Quality – Provide long-term funding for school HVAC repairs and establish minimum and maximum indoor temperature standards

Municipal Accountability

MBR – Change the minimum budget requirement to minimum expenditure requirement

ECS Payments – Pay school districts directly instead of passing education cost sharing grants through municipalities

Municipal Finance Transparency – Cap unallocated municipal funds

Retirement Equity and Pension Security

Cost of Living Adjustment – Modify the cost-of-living adjustment statutes to better reflect the current increases in the Social Security COLA

TRB Disability Subsidy – Provide a double monthly health subsidy (increase from $220 to $440 per person) to members receiving a Teachers’ Retirement Board disability benefit

TRB Elections – Align the election of all four seats for retired teachers on the Teachers’ Retirement Board and allow active teachers to vote in the election of the two new retiree seats

Teachers Retirement Fund – Fully fund the annual contributions and continually reduce the unfunded liability