SB284 • 2026

Teachers; timeline and process for increasing salaries to at least national average.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to establish a timeline and process for increasing the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth.</p>

Budget Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Aird
Last action: 2026-02-10
Official status: Continued
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies a detailed timeline for funding increases but does not explicitly state that each year's budget must provide exactly one-quarter of the total increase. The exact wording and requirements are more nuanced than this claim suggests.

Teachers' Salaries Raised to National Average

This bill requires Virginia's Governor to propose budgets that fund teacher salary increases, aiming for the national average by the end of fiscal year 2029.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Governor to include funding in budget proposals for increasing teacher salaries.
Sets a timeline and process for raising teacher salaries to match or exceed the national average by the beginning of fiscal year 2030.
Adjusts salary projections based on inflation rates and actual salary data from Virginia's reports.

Who It Names or Affects

Teachers in Virginia
The Governor of Virginia

Terms To Know

Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions: Positions funded by the state to ensure educational standards are met.
General Appropriation Act: The law that sets spending limits for government programs in Virginia.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not specify how localities will fund their part of the salary increases.
It does not address potential challenges or costs associated with implementing these changes.

Bill History

2026-02-10 Finance and Appropriations
Continued to 2027 in Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-02-06 Education and Health
Committee substitute printed 26105818D-S1
2026-02-06 Education and Health
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB284)
2026-02-05 Education and Health
Reported from Education and Health with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-01-29 Public Education
Assigned Education sub: Public Education
2026-01-29 Public Education
Senate subcommittee offered
2026-01-28 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB284)
2026-01-13 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26102126D
2026-01-13 Education and Health
Referred to Committee on Education and Health

Official Summary Text

Average teacher salary in the Commonwealth; national average.
Requires the Governor's introduced budget bills for the 2027 and 2028 Regular Sessions of the General Assembly to propose funding for, and state funding to be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act enacted during any regular or special session of the General Assembly during 2027 or 2028 to fund, the Commonwealth's share of compensation supplement incentives for Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions sufficient to increase the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth to at least the national average teacher salary by the end of fiscal year 2029 and establishes a detailed timeline and process for satisfying such requirement.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL NO. 284

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

(Proposed by the Senate Committee on Education and Health

on February 5, 2026)

(Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator Aird)

A BILL to establish a timeline and process for increasing the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.
§ 1.
Th
at the
Governor's introduced budget bills for the 2027
,
2028
, and 2029
Regular Sessions of the General Assembly shall propose funding for, and state funding shall be provided pursuant to the general appropriation act enacted during any regular or special session of the General Assembly
in
2027
,
2028
, or 2029
to fund, the Commonwealth's share of compensation supplement incentives for Standards of Quality-funded instructional and support positions sufficient to increase the average teacher salary in the Commonwealth to at least the national average teacher salary by the beginning of the 20
30
fiscal year.

§ 2.
I
n order to project the national average salary in fiscal year 20
30
for the purpose of calculating the proposed and funded amounts as required pursuant to § 1
of this act
, the most recent actual or estimated national average teacher salary published
by
the source used in the Joint Legislative Audit
and
Review Commission
'
s Virginia Compared to the Other States report shall be utilized but adjusted by the actual and forecasted percentage change in the United States Average Consumer Price Index for all items, all urban consumers (CPI-U).

§ 3. In order to project the current-year average teacher salary in the Commonwealth for the purpose of calculating the proposed and funded amounts as required pursuant to § 1
of this act
, the most recent actual average teacher salary in the Commonwealth published by the source used in the Joint Legislative Audit
and
Review Commission
'
s Virginia Compared to the Other States report shall be utilized but shall be adjusted to recognize subsequent compensation increases from the state, assuming localities accept and implement a full match for Standards of Quality pay increases.

§ 4. The minimum compensation supplement that shall be proposed in the Governor's introduced budget bills and provided pursuant to the general appropriation act as described in § 1
of this act
shall be structured as follows: (i) such supplement for the 2026
S
ession shall provide at least one-
quarter
of the increase required pursuant to § 1
of this act
for
fiscal year
2027, (ii)
such supplement for the 2027
S
ession shall provide at least one-quarter of the increase required pursuant to § 1
of this act
for fiscal year 2028
, (iii)
such supplement for the 2028
S
ession shall provide at least one-quarter of the increase required pursuant to § 1
of this act
for fiscal year 2029
, and (iv)
such supplement for the 2029
S
ession shall provide at least one-quarter of the increase required pursuant to § 1
of this act
for fiscal year 2030
.