Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, speaks on March 18, 2025, about his bill, which would raise certain teachers’ salaries based on median home prices in an effort to attract and retain educators.
A bill being considered by the West Virginia Senate would base teacher pay raises on the median home price in their county. Some educators in wealthier counties may see a significant pay increase, such as in Jefferson County, where a teacher’s salary could double to more than $101,000.
According to the state’s board of education, only 25 counties would be eligible for a potential salary increase, excluding teachers in poorer counties.
West Virginia has the lowest teacher pay in the nation, and there aren’t enough certified teachers.
Sen. Craig Hart, R-Mingo, a public school teacher, stated: “I have very mixed feelings about this bill.” It would not benefit teachers in impoverished countries like his own, he claimed. Mingo County’s average home price is $64,000.
“The poorer just get poorer,” he said Tuesday before the Senate Education Committee, which approved the bill. “I don’t want to see rich counties not have teachers, but I thought the rich counties might have the money to pay their teachers.”
Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, said the state needs to attract and retain teachers to improve its education outcomes. His proposal, Senate Bill 506, would establish a market-based pay rate based on the area’s median home prices. The state board of education would develop a formula for calculating raises.
“Let’s see if we can get the way we pay our state employees more consistent with what the market requires in order to retain these employees and attract them,” Mr. Tarr said. “You’ve seen the challenges we’ve had educating our kids, and I want teachers first.”
The pay raises, which would take effect in 2026, would cost the state approximately $183 million.
Members of the Senate Education Committee acknowledged that the bill’s cost could cause it to be tabled. Lawmakers are debating Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed budget, which aims to close a $400 million budget hole.
Five years of modest pay raises for state employees under former Gov. Jim Justice, as public employee health insurance costs rose, did not move the needle on teacher pay disparities.
Morrisey called for teacher pay raises in his inaugural State of the State address, but the Republican governor did not request any legislation to implement the increase.
Border counties, particularly in the Eastern Panhandle, have struggled to keep teachers.
“It’s definitely skewed in the Eastern Panhandle because of their proximity to Washington, D.C. and the home prices there,” state schools Deputy Superintendent Sonya White explained.
Sen. Scott Fuller, R-Wayne, stated that the bill is necessary to keep the teacher workforce in West Virginia. Wayne and Cabell counties have lost teachers to neighbouring Ohio and Kentucky, he claims.
“It’s going to require a fairly substantial bump in pay,” Fuller told the audience. “We have fantastic teachers, but not enough of them.” Then we lose a handful or more because of the payscale. “I fully support this bill.”
Tarr stated that, based on the proposed salary calculator, some of the salaries may exceed what is required for a teacher.
The Senate Finance Committee will consider the bill.
