SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill Sept. 16 that would have raised the minimum
salary for teachers in the state to $40,000 in the 2022-23 school year. Teachers deserve to be well-compensated, the governor wrote in his veto message, but “minimum pay legislation is neither the most efficient nor the most effective way.” He said paying teachers more for good performance, working in hard-to-staff schools or subjects, or having prior work experience would be better options. The bill would have raised the state minimum from $9,000, where it’s been since 1980, to $32,076 in the 2019-20 school year. “Refusing to guarantee professional educators a livable minimum wage is no way to lure more teachers to Illinois,” the bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar, said in a statement. “I’m disappointed in the governor’s veto, and I know thousands of dedicated, hard-working, creative educators throughout the state are too.” To override Rauner’s veto in the veto-review session after the November election, supporters of the bill would have to get six more Senate votes than they did when it passed in May. Read more
