Teacher pay is falling across the country after factoring in inflation. In addition, teachers are being required to pay more for their health care, now paying nearly $1,300 more in annual premiums than the average for state and local employees.

Teachers already make less than comparable workers in other fields—by more than 11 percent – and this gap is widening. These pay disparities result in many areas of the country struggling to recruit and retain teachers. One study showed that over 40 percent of new teachers leave their jobs within five years, either to a different school or different profession altogether.

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration just cut taxes, with most of the benefits going to the wealthiest Americans. By itself, the 20 percent deduction for pass-through businesses cost $415 billion. If instead Republicans had spent that money on educating our children, they could have accomplished most of the following:

• Give a 20 percent raise (about $11,000 per teacher) to all 3.2 million public school teachers in the United States, making teaching a profession that pays well and attracts talented young professionals - $372 billion.
• Bring teacher health care premiums in line with other state and local employees - $41 billion.
• Hire a college and career counselor for every high school in America, making sure that every students has access to the guidance they need - $13 billion.