It’s the final stretch for a bill that would fund increases to beginning teacher pay in Montana. Having passed the House and with one more vote left in the Senate, the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success Act – the STARS Act – may soon become law. School districts could then choose to dip into funds created by the act, yearly pools of up to about $350,000, depending on district enrollment. Sen. John Fuller, a Republican from Kalispell, is carrying the bill through the Senate and said during debate on the bill on Tuesday that it’s worth the price tag. He tells his colleagues, “I support [Public Education] fiercely.”
To qualify for funding in the coming fiscal year, districts would have to pay educators a salary that is at least 62% of 2025’s average teacher pay. Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a Democrat from Box Elder, agreed that $55 million in estimated yearly spending seemed steep, “but it’s a step in the right direction.”
The bill is now with the Senate Finance and Claims Committee to determine its impacts on the State’s two-year budget.
