Bipartisan skepticism over a $45K minimum salary for teachers

• Ed Mahon
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  Ed Mahon comes to Spotlight PA from PA Post, where he covered state politics and policy, produced radio stories that were broadcast on public media stations throughout the state and on NPR’s national newscasts, and co-wrote a weekday newsletter. Prior to joining PA Post, Ed worked for six years as an investigative and political reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network. His reporting on failures in Pennsylvania’s system for protecting domestic abuse victims was a finalist in the national 2018 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists in the local reporting category. He was also part of a team whose coverage of the criminal justice system, including the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture by York County prosecutors, received the 2018 G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Before joining the York Daily Record, Ed covered K-12 education at the Centre Daily Times in State College and worked as a stringer for suburban sections of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

 Ed Mahon / PA Post

Many districts in southwestern Pennsylvania would receive money under a proposal to raise all school district salaries to at least $45,000 a year.

From The Context, PA Post’s weekday email newsletter:

A Republican senator suggests an alternative

Ed Mahon / PA Post

Many districts in southwestern Pennsylvania would receive money under a proposal to raise all school district salaries to at least $45,000 a year.

• During a Monday budget hearing, lawmakers raised a variety of concerns over a proposal to raise the minimum salary for teachers to $45,000 a year, WHYY’s Avi Wolfman-Arent reports. Some lawmakers were concerned about the ripple effects, while others were concerned about which districts would receive the money.

• Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, also weighed in on the issue during an interview on WHYY’s Radio Times. “I’m very hesitant to get involved in local … collective bargaining agreements,” Corman said. (I was also on Radio Times to talk aboutthe proposal.)

• On Tuesday, Senate Education Committee Chairman Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster County, suggested another approach: A grant program with plans tailored to each district.

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