OEA President: Teacher Salary Increase A Step In The Right Direction, More To Be Done

Overton County Education Association President Jennifer Eilender said the just approved teacher salary increases are a long-time overdue.

The state legislature approved Wednesday the largest teacher salary raise in state history. The required base pay for teachers would gradually increase to $50,000 by the 2026/2027 school year.

“Tennessee Teachers are some of the hardest working teachers in the nation and it’s such a shame that we have been among the lowest paid in the nation,” Eilender said. “I haven’t seen the statistics of where we’ll actually rank once this raise goes into place, but I’m hoping it will move us up.”

Eilender said she thinks there is still a long way to go. She said teachers have been underpaid and continue to be underappreciated and she hopes that will start to change.

Eilender said while they are pleased with the raise, there is one component that disappointed her. She said there were some things added to the bill that make it unappealing, including rights that teachers have had for several years. That includes allowing the deduction of union dues from a teacher’s wages.

“We need to recognize the value of our teachers and continue to work towards rewarding that value monetarily,” Eilender said. “The way we reward values of other careers monetarily. Every person out there had a teacher. Every president had a teacher. Every doctor had a teacher. Every lawyer had a teacher. The teachers are at the base of everyone’s beginnings and we need to recognize the value that that holds in our society and we need to continue to take steps towards illustrating the value they have in our society through more than just words.”

Eilender said she believes there are plans in the future to improve upon these raises and she hopes it comes to fruition.