North Dakota Proposes Teacher Retention Stipends of up to $10,000 a Year
North Dakota on October 5 unveiled the STAYS Act (Support Teachers and Youth Succeed), a teacher-retention package announced by State Superintendent Levi Bachmeier, Representative Mike Nathe and Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden. The bill would create a Teacher Retention Fund financed by 10 percent of the biennial distribution from the Common Schools Trust Fund. Eligible teachers would initially receive about $3,400 a year, rising over time toward $10,000 a year, capped at 25 percent of the statewide average teacher base salary; stipends would not affect contract pay or retirement benefits. To qualify, a teacher must have taught full-time the previous school year, be signed to return this year (or have retired at the end of the prior year), and hold a license from the state's Education Standards and Practices Board; administrators are excluded. The measure needs approval from the 70th Legislative Assembly, which convenes in January 2027, and will be included in the governor's executive budget recommendation. For Chinese-American parents, stable teaching staffs mean steadier classrooms — a practical reason to watch how the legislature votes.
(Source: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction)
Source: North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图为北达科他州议会大楼；摄影：Indies1，经维基共享资源（CC BY 4.0）/ The North Dakota State Capitol; photo by Indies1 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
