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Montana committee hears wide support for STARS Act to raise starting teacher pay, expand CTE incentives
Summary
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony on House Bill 252, the STARS Act, which would raise baseline starting teacher pay, create incentives for dual-credit and career-technical education, and give limited local authority for teacher housing; departmental witnesses pledged rules and an implementation timeline but the committee took no vote.
Representative Lou Jones, sponsor of House Bill 252, told the House Education Committee the STARS Act is designed to boost starting teacher pay, expand student pathways through dual-credit and career-technical education (CTE), and give communities limited tools to address teacher housing. ‘‘This bill touches four critical areas,’’ Jones said, calling it ‘‘an investment into Montana’s education system’’ meant to put more money into classrooms for teachers and students.
The bill would modify existing formula components so districts that meet phased benchmarks can receive enhanced ‘‘quality educator’’ payments, Jones said, and would phase a starting-teacher benchmark from roughly 62 percent to 70 percent of the district average over time. Jones estimated the portion of the formula devoted to compressing the pay scale would require about $20–25 million of the broader funding proposal.
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