The 2024-2025 school year budget includes the largest district-wide teacher pay increase in Atlanta Public School history. Teachers receive an average pay increase of 11% and non-teaching staff receive up to 5% pay increase.
“As a board member and an advocate for education, I’ve always been vocal about the need to compensate our teachers fairly,” APS Seat 7 At-Large board member, Alfred Brooks said. “This time around, I not only campaigned on increasing our teachers’ base salary to $65,000, I also had the opportunity to add my voice to discussions and decisions that led to the pay raise. We all know that our teachers are the backbone of our schools, and they deserve pay that reflects their hard work and dedication.”
In addition to the district-wide salary increase, teachers will receive an additional $2,500 from the state budget. Brooks believes this contributes to further teacher support.
“We prioritized teacher pay this year because, frankly, it was long overdue,” Brooks said. “The past few years have highlighted just how much we rely on our educators, and it became clear that the old approach wasn’t cutting it anymore. We needed to make a bold move to show our teachers that we value them and that we’re committed to supporting them.”
With these changes, APS offers one of the highest starting salaries for teachers in Georgia with a bachelor’s degree at $61,816.
AP Biology teacher Nikolai Curtis said that he once thought about leaving because of both teacher pay and issues with phones.
“A couple years ago, I thought about leaving because of the pay differential and the issues going on with education,” Curtis said. “That is one of the reasons I am a big fan of the cell phone initiative we are doing this year. That has made management a lot easier for us. A lot of science teachers and a lot of math teachers leave the profession because they can make more money in areas that are associated with the private industry.”
APS District 1 Seat board member and Board’s Budget Commission Chair Katie Howard believes this will help with teacher retention among APS school employees.
“There is significant evidence that teacher salary increases help with retention, but a large part of retention is a creating and maintaining a supportive culture with accountability,” Howard said. “We must continue as a Board and district to focus on our culture and climate work to make sure we’re providing educators what they need to be successful and that it’s all tied back to what it means for students.”
Social Studies teacher, Dr. Tanya Crawford, believes the pay increase means more than just the money; she said it shows the district is prioritizing teachers.
“[The teacher pay increase] is well-deserved for those who work hard,” Crawford said. “To whom much is given, much is required. All children deserve a good education, and we have a responsibility to give it to them, even more so now, with the pay increase. I always say, ‘Where your treasure is, your heart is.’ Wherever people invest their money, that’s what is important. DeKalb County is really big on libraries and YMCAs. To me, that says reading is important to that county. That says exercise, health and having a place to meet after school are important. [The teacher pay raise] says to me that APS sees teachers as important.”
Beyond the salary boost for all teachers, there are extra bonuses for teachers who teach AP classes, have more degrees and sign their contract early. English teacher Lisa Boyd said that with these extra bonuses, APS needs to stay diligent to hire and retain good teachers at all levels.
“There is an equity issue,” Boyd said. “Oftentimes, you have senior teachers, the ones who have more experience and education, teaching AP classes. We need to be working on closing that equity gap and making sure that all kids have opportunities despite their educational background, ethnicity, socioeconomic level.”
Howard thinks that offering a bonus for AP teachers will motivate more teachers to become AP certified. She believes that this will close the equity gap, rather than widen it.
“I think the AP bonus will help us get more educators trained in AP, which is one thing we definitely need in order to offer more AP courses, and in turn help us increase access to them at all our schools,” Howard said. “If we’re really going to address the equity gap – which we think access to AP courses will help address – the Board needs to use its Goals to ensure [Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson] has the direction and support he needs.”
Teacher wellbeing and culture is a main focus point of the raise. Howard hopes the budget flexibility will help teachers will feel less stress.
“What is important in addition to the pay, is the well-being portion, which means providing other resources teachers and staff need to be successful, from access to mental health services to protected time to plan lessons and have breaks in the school year,” Howard said. “I think the district is doing a much better job in this area and is gathering survey results and feedback from teachers and staff that they’re responding to in a more meaningful way.
Teacher retention is associated with more than pay. Boyd said teacher wellbeing has been low for the past few years. She believes that the newly instated Yondr pouches, pouches students lock their personal devices in throughout the school day, will help keep teachers at Midtown as well.
“Last year, a lot of teachers in this building were at their wits end in terms of policing the phones, even some people I think are the most brilliant teachers,” Boyd said. “It was hurting them from loving teaching. They felt like they weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing because they were constantly having to do other things. The students weren’t really engaged and learning. Allowing teachers to do what they love to do and paying them better for doing that is huge.”
APS was also one of the four Georgia school districts to partner with Georgia State in order to give teachers access to free master’s degrees. The Pathways to Teacher Credentialing Project allowed 30 APS educators to pursue a master’s degree in their field at Georgia State University over the summer.
“The decision to partner with Georgia State to offer free master’s degrees was driven by our desire to invest in our teachers’ professional growth,” Brooks said. “By giving them access to higher education, we’re not only improving their skill sets but also boosting their earning potential. This partnership is about building a stronger, more qualified teaching force, which ultimately benefits our students.”
Brooks said the Board plans to continue advocating for teacher pay and retention. .
“This isn’t a one-time deal,” Brooks said. “We intend to keep pushing for competitive salaries that attract and retain the best educators. The work isn’t over – we’re committed to making sure our teachers are paid what they deserve.”