State of the State: Ivey proposes 2% pay raise for Alabama educators, workers, highlights accomplishments

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – During her final State of the State Address Tuesday evening, Gov. Kay Ivey proposed a 2% pay raise for educators and state employees and more money for the state’s new school choice program.

Ivey, in her final year as governor, used the annual address to highlight the accomplishments of her administration and the state since she took office in 2017. These included investments in education, high-speed internet access, and economic development, as well as job creation.

“The momentum is in our sails in Alabama – and we are not done yet!” Ivey said from the Old House Chamber in the Capitol.

“… Since (2017), we have seen investments totaling $69 billion which has created 100,000 jobs – and

counting,” she said. “Alabama consistently ranks among the top 10 states for doing business. We are prioritizing workforce development, guaranteeing site readiness and remaining steady and reliable for economic growth.”

She highlighted improved K-12 test scores.

“In fourth-grade math (in 2017), we ranked dead last at 52nd,” she said. “In fourth-grade reading, we were 49th.

“…We are now 32nd in math and 34th in reading.”

Among her school spending priorities in the legislative session that started Tuesday, Ivey is proposing increasing funding for the CHOOSE ACT, which allows families use public money for private and homeschool educations, to $250 million.

She’s also proposing $50 million more for school safety efforts.

Raises

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Ivey proposed 2% raises for both teachers and state workers, the latter of which are a smaller number.

“Our teachers are certainly key to our success,” Ivey said. “So, I am excited to announce that budget includes another 2% pay increase for these teachers preparing our next generation.”

Lawmakers will soon begin their work on Ivey’s final education and General Fund budget proposals and ultimately, pay increases are up to them. Education budget leaders in the Legislature, including Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, have said he expects a raise for teachers. On the General Fund side, Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, told Alabama Daily News last week that his priority was addressing increasing health care costs for employees and doing that and a raise would be difficult, despite it being an election year.

The education raise comes at a significant cost to the state. Each percentage point of a pay raise is expected to cost $50 million.

If it passes, it will be the seventh pay raise teachers have received since 2019, Ivey’s first budget year. Raise amounts were between 2% and 4% and were given every year except for 2021 and the current budget year.

Alabama Education Association Executive Director Amy Marlowe said teachers are grateful for any raise, but it’s not enough to even keep up with inflation.

“Our inflation numbers for 2025 are 2.7%,” she added. “So a 2% pay raise is not even going to help them stay up with inflation.”

Marlowe said she has been very encouraged with how Ivey and lawmakers have been granting regular pay raises, saying that she believes it has contributed to attracting and retaining teachers amid a national teacher shortage.

Losing that momentum will impede that progress, she said.

“[Two percent] is not enough to attract young people into the profession and to maintain the current workforce that we’ve got right now.”

The debate over whether that’s enough now moves to the legislature. Finance Director Bill Poole and Legislative Services Agency Deputy Director Kirk Fulford will present the state’s financial condition to a joint committee of budget committee members this morning.

This story is from aldailynews.com.