Sen. Vincent Borja has introduced a bill that would allow the Guam Department of Education to establish its own pay and benefit structure for educators.
Borja, who chairs the legislature’s Committee on Education, said Bill 351-38 was developed in collaboration with the Guam Federation of Teachers.
He said Guam ranks last among states and territories for annual median wages for education and library occupations. With housing, healthcare, transportation and everyday costs climbing, teachers leave for jurisdictions that pay more.
Under the bill, the elected Guam Education Board would negotiate the structure with the Guam Federation of Teachers. Salaries for classroom teachers would be built toward 95% of the national average, phased in over no more than five fiscal years, with no single increase above 15% and no retroactive application.
Borja said conversations about teacher pay usually include a proposal for a compensation study costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. But a compensation study isn’t necessary, he said, because the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Education Association publish annual reports at no charge.
In a news release announcing the bill, Borja said low educator wages are costing Guam in the long run.
“We are already paying for teacher turnover,” Borja said. “We are paying for vacancies, substitutes, recruitment, and training every time an experienced educator walks out the door. Instead of continuing to spend money replacing good teachers, we should be using those resources to give them a reason to stay.”