Nearly 8 in 10 Voters Support Sanders Bill to Raise Minimum Teacher Pay to $60k

[Uncle Joe]

Denver teachers, students and community members picket outside South High School on February 11, 2019, in Denver, Colorado.
MICHAEL CIAGLO / GETTY IMAGES

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According to a recent survey of 1,254 likely voters by Data for Progress, 77 percent of voters support the proposal to set a nationwide minimum salary of $60,000 for public school teachers, while only 18 percent say they oppose it. This includes nearly half of respondents, or 45 percent, who said that they “strongly” support the idea.

The proposal is even popular across the political spectrum: it is supported by 88 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents and 67 percent of Republicans, the polling found.

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“It is time to end the international embarrassment of America ranking 29th out of 30 countries in pay for middle school teachers,” Sanders said. “If we are going to have the best public school system in the world, we have got to radically change our attitude toward education and make sure that every teacher in America receives the compensation that they deserve for the enormously important and difficult work that they do. No public school teacher in America should make less than $60,000 a year.”

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The legislation comes at a time of crisis for teachers and public education. The pandemic has exacerbated already existing teacher shortages, while teachers are facing relentless attacks from far right activists seeking to destroy public schools and severely restrict what teachers are allowed to discuss in the classroom in order to serve the right’s anti-LGBTQ, racist goals. Meanwhile, the number of school shootings are reaching record highs.

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https://truthout.org/articles/nearly-8-in-10-voters-support-sanders-bill-to-raise-minimum-teacher-pay-to-60k/

[ShazamIam]

1. That is the kind of polling result that makes me feel good about our national priorities.

[appalachiablue]

2. Excellent, thanks for posting.