[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Teachers

  Mr. President, finally, for the better part of the 20th century, 
being a teacher in America meant being a part of the middle class. You 
worked hard, and you received decent pay and benefits--enough to afford 
a home, a car, a vacation, and to raise a family. But for the past 20 
years, teachers' pay has been falling behind.
  A 2016 report from the Economic Policy Institute found that teachers 
take home weekly wages that are 17 percent lower than comparable 
workers. That is why thousands of teachers across the country have 
organized and staged walkouts to demand fair pay, adequate resources, 
and better working conditions.
  I have always felt that teaching is a vital profession. I know how my 
teachers at P.S. 197, Cunningham Junior High School, and James Madison 
High School affected me in such a positive way. They are great. So I 
believe that in the 21st century, teaching should be an exalted 
profession, sort of like a doctor or lawyer was in the 20th century. It 
is that important to the future of America, to the future of our 
children, and to the future of our grandchildren. But the pay sure 
doesn't reflect that.
  That teachers' pay has fallen so far behind matters a great deal not 
just to teachers but to all of us. Education is the catalyst for 
economic mobility. It puts rungs on the ladders of opportunity. We need 
great teachers in every classroom so that our children have every 
opportunity to succeed.
  As I said, in my view, teaching should be an exalted profession in 
the 21st century the way medicine and law were in the 20th century, and 
teachers' pay should more closely reflect their value to society.
  Today, Democrats in the House and Senate will come together to 
announce our plan to offer our Nation's teachers a better deal.
  I yield the floor.
  I again thank my dear friend from Georgia for waiting and for 
listening to me.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. ISAKSON. I say to the Democratic leader, it is a pleasure.