The 54,000 member Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) announced today its support of House Resolution 145, introduced for the organization by Rep. Jeanette Jamieson (D-Toccoa) during the 2003 legislative session.

The resolution takes note of the fact that the state salary scale ends after nineteen years of service and that teachers, to earn full retirement benefits, must work for thirty years. Due to the state�s economic problems, Governor Perdue did not include an increase on the state salary schedule in his 2004 budget. Thus, many teachers - approximately 43 percent currently - will be �frozen� at Step 19 and receive neither an across the board pay increase nor a longevity increase.

A significant number of these teachers may also find that their take home pay is less next school year because of the impact of twenty percent increases in their healthcare premiums, deducted from their monthly paycheck.

PAGE Legislative Director Tom Wommack says that to add two additional longevity steps, at a cost of approximately $48 million, would greatly increase the numbers of educators who would receive at least a nominal salary increase in the 2004-2005 school year. �It would also begin the process of improving the salary schedule so that the number of steps on that schedule would eventually reflect the number of years a teacher must work to earn a full retirement. Since the law requires thirty years, it makes sense that the salary schedule reflects and rewards that anticipated classroom longevity,� Wommack notes.

H.R. 145 states that �not only would one or more salary step increases coming after 20 years or more of service improve teacher morale and encourage teachers to remain in the profession, but also any teacher who has taught that long deserves an increase.� PAGE agrees, says Wommack. �We will work toward approval and funding for the resolution so that veteran educators remain in the state�s classrooms and that their years of service are rewarded.�

�For years educators have been told to �think outside the box,� Wommack concluded. �PAGE would like to ask Governor Perdue and the members of the General Assembly to �think outside the salary scale.�

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PAGE is a nonunion, statewide professional association of more than 54,000 teachers, administrators and support personnel members with the purpose of promoting better education for the children of Georgia.