It's time for Alabama lawmakers to pass a substantial raise for all public education employees in 2018!​ Recruiting and retaining dedicated educators is critical to the strength of our public schools. Over the past decade, Alabama educators have continually done more with less:

--In the aftermath of the Great Recession, Alabama had nearly the largest cuts to K-12 education in the entire country. Funding has still not recovered to 2008 levels.
--School districts across the state are facing a shortage of qualified educators, particularly in areas such as math, science, and special education.
--The success of our local schools is directly linked to the economic development of the communities they serve.

Just like current public education employees, education retirees have dedicated their lives to educating our children and they have not received a cost of living increase since 2008. Rising medical costs along with 10 years of inflation have affected the quality of life of our retired educators. Our retirees should be taken care of and deserve an increase.​

It's time for Alabama lawmakers to recognize that the working conditions of educators are the learning conditions of students. It's time for Alabama lawmakers to recognize that public education is vital to our communities and our democracy. It's time for Alabama lawmakers to pass a substantial raise for all public education employees and retirees in 2018!