Joint committee hears broad support for statewide educator-pay floor of $70,000 teachers, $55,000 paraprofessionals

State lawmakers and dozens of educators, union leaders and parents told the Joint Committee on Education during a public hearing that Massachusetts should set a statewide minimum salary of $70,000 for teachers and $55,000 for education support professionals (ESPs).

Sponsors introduced House Bill 733 and Senate Bill 370 as measures intended to raise wages for the Commonwealth’s lowest-paid school employees and to reduce recruitment and retention problems affecting classrooms. Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said the change was necessary to keep schools staffed and to recruit a more diverse teaching force. "One job should be enough," Page said, summarizing the testimony from rank-and-file members and local leaders.

The bills would set the statewide floors and include a phased funding model to limit immediate local fiscal shock: the state would cover 100% of the increased cost in the first year, followed by a multi-year stepdown (committee testimony described subsequent years at 60%, 40% and 20%), allowing municipalities time to adjust. Sponsors and union witnesses also proposed indexing the floor to inflation to prevent future erosion in purchasing power.

Why it matters: Testimony…