IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 58 
Supporting the goal of increasing public school teacher pay and public 
education funding. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 17, 2019 
Mr. O’HALLERAN (for himself and Mrs. HAYES) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goal of increasing public school teacher pay 
and public education funding. 
Whereas over the last 2 decades, public school teachers are 
contributing more toward health care and retirement 
costs as their pay falls further behind; 
Whereas after accounting for inflation, public school teacher 
pay fell by $30 per week from 1996 to 2015, while pay 
for other college graduates with years in the workforce 
increased by $124 per week, equaling a compensation gap 
of 11.1 percent, which is an increase of 9 percentage 
points from 1996 to 2015; 
Whereas despite reduced salaries, teachers’ out-of-pocket 
costs to cover necessary classroom materials and instruc-
tional supplies average $485 annually, with many teach-
ers spending far more; 
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Whereas on average, public school teachers earn just 77 per-
cent of what other college graduates with years in the 
workforce earn in weekly wages; 
Whereas in the State of Arizona, public school teachers earn 
just 63 cents on the dollar compared with other college 
graduates with years in the workforce, and this gap is 79 
cents in the State of Kentucky, 67 cents in the State of 
Oklahoma, and 75 cents in the State of West Virginia; 
Whereas in 18 States, public school teacher weekly wages lag 
by more than 25 percent and there is no State where 
teacher wages are equal to or better than those of other 
college graduates with years in the workforce; 
Whereas education support professionals (including para-
professionals, custodians, administrative staff, cafeteria 
workers, specialized instructional support personnel, and 
others) provide critical services to support student suc-
cess and remain chronically underpaid; 
Whereas teachers at public schools in rural communities face 
disproportionately low wages and high turnover rates; 
Whereas 29 States provided less overall State funding per 
student in the 2015 school year (the most recent year 
available) than in the 2008 school year, before the reces-
sion took hold; 
Whereas in 19 States, local funding for education also de-
clined during the same period; 
Whereas despite being 28 years since the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act was first introduced, that Act 
remains less than fully funded; 
Whereas title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965, the cornerstone of the Federal Govern-
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ment’s commitment to help children in high-poverty 
schools succeed, has been chronically underfunded; 
Whereas part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act, the cornerstone of the Federal Government’s com-
mitment to provide special education and related services 
to children with disabilities, has been chronically under-
funded; 
Whereas the Federal Government has a trust responsibility to 
Indian Tribes affirmed in treaties, laws, court cases, and 
the Constitution, yet consistently underfunds the con-
struction and maintenance of Indian schools so that, ac-
cording to a 2017 U.S. Government Accountability Office 
report, $1,300,000,000 is needed to address construction, 
maintenance, and repairs of all Indian schools; 
Whereas increased investment in elementary school and sec-
ondary school instruction can reduce class sizes, improve 
teacher wages and retention, and ensure that students 
have access to up-to-date, high-quality classroom mate-
rials; and 
Whereas a majority of both Democratic and Republican vot-
ers identified increased investment in public education as 
a top priority for the 116th Congress in a recent POLIT-
ICO/Harvard poll: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the compensation of public school teachers 
should be comparable to other college graduates with 
years in the workforce in the State or Territory in 
which the teachers are employed; and 
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(2) States, Territories, and the Federal Govern-
ment should increase investment in instruction, 
classroom materials, and services available within 
public schools to ensure all public school students 
graduate from high school ready for college and ca-
reer. 
Æ 
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