The Alabama Legislature voted in favor of a 2% increase in teacher pay this year, citing a boost in revenue within the education trust fund as the driving force behind the decision.

State Rep. Jennifer Fidler, a Republican who represents Fairhope, Foley, Summerdale, Silverhill and Magnolia Springs, spoke at a town hall meeting in June and highlighted the importance of addressing salary discrepancies and ensuring equitable pay for education professionals.

"We also increased the specialized positions that in some areas of the state do not make as much money, and we wanted to make sure those were fair for people like school bus drivers and custodians and cafeteria employees," Fidler said.

She said she thinks this pay raise was necessary and well-deserved. Fidler acknowledged the salary increase teachers received last year, which she said makes Alabama more competitive with neighboring states.

Reflecting on the state's past financial challenges, Fidler recalled a time when pay increases were not possible due to budget constraints.

"We owe our teachers a debt of gratitude for the teachers and administrators that stuck with the state of Alabama and kept teaching for all those years because there were a lot of hard years for them when they did not get the increases they deserved," she said.

Gov. Kay Ivey said when the bill became law the increase was necessary.

"Our students' education is my top priority, and teachers are vital to their successful future, which is why I am proud to, once again, deliver a pay raise to Alabama teachers," Ivey said at the time. "Every year since I have been governor, I have proposed a pay increase for our educators, and because of our work with the Legislature, Alabama has increased base salary for teachers by about $6,000 during that time. As I stated during my state of the state address, my goal is to have the starting salary for all Alabama teachers to be the highest in the Southeast by the end of my term."