House of Delegates Downs Amendments Calling for Bigger Teacher Pay Increases

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated.

The West Virginia House of Delegates shot down Monday two amendments that would have created bigger pay hikes for teachers.

House Minority Leader Tim Miley proposed an amendment to Senate Bill 267 that called for a 3-percent salary increase this year and 3-percent increases the following two years. The amendment failed on a 42-58 vote.

Republican Delegates Pat McGeehan and Michael Folk proposed an amendment that would have offered a 3-1-1 formula — with a 3-percent hike this year and an additional 1-percent raise the next two years. That amendment was rejected on a 50-50 tie vote.

With those amendments failing, the bill goes up for a vote Tuesday in the House in the form in which it was passed by the lower chamber’s finance committee last week — calling for a 2-1-1-1 formula.

The current version is greater than what originally passed the Senate, which called for a 1-percent increase each year for five years.

At a news conference last week, Gov. Jim Justice said he believed the version passed by the Senate was the best route, with state revenues stabilizing and an uncertain future.