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Rauner talks school funding for teachers’ salaries

Governor Bruce Rauner is weighing the impact of legislation that would require higher minimum teacher salaries. 

When it comes to the impact of legislation that would eventually require a starting salary of $40,000, Rauner says he’s a strong advocate for getting teachers more pay. He says he wants the best teachers in America, and Illinois already has many.

In Rauner’s mind, size matters: “We gotta be careful that we don’t crush small communities that have very limited resources and to be told they have to pay X (amount of dollars),” Rauner said. “That could bankrupt some small school districts. So we gotta find a way to help some schools pay their teachers more.” He added that he has $1.4 billion more from the state for schools than when he became governor.

Rauner believes the state can help school districts fund the higher salaries without spending a dime. “Stop mandating curriculums,” Rauner added. “Stop mandating how schools are run. Let’s get the cost structure off of our schools that Springfield brings. That will free up money – and we can pay our teachers more too.” The legislation was sent to the Governor last week.

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