An Act designating the bridge, identified as Bridge Key 48742, carrying State Route 4009 over Fox Run in Northern Cambria Borough, Cambria County, as the Sgt. Elwood Eugene Rumbaugh Memorial Bridge.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Marc Anderson and 7 co-sponsors

Requires PA school districts to set identical starting salaries for teachers with the same State certification within the same grade span and salary class/step starting 2025-2026.

Referred to Transportation

Summary of HB 2640 (2025-2026) — Pennsylvania

Purpose and intent

The bill seeks to amend the Public School Code of 1949 to address teacher starting salary practices.

Specifically, it aims to ensure uniform starting salaries for teachers who hold the same State instructional certification within the same grade span, across a school term beginning 2025-2026 and for every term thereafter.

Key provisions and changes

Adds a new subsection to Section 1142.1 (Minimum Salaries for Teachers) of the Public School Code.

New requirement (a.1): For the school term 2025-2026 and each term thereafter, a school district must establish the same starting salary for teachers who hold the same grade span State instructional certification in the same class and step.

This implies that within a district, teachers sharing the same certification level and assigned to the same salary class/step must receive identical starting salaries, preventing variation in starting pay for equivalent qualifications and roles.

The rest of existing provisions related to minimum salaries remain in place; the bill adds this uniform starting-salary mandate as a new requirement.

Who/what is affected

School districts: Responsible for implementing the uniform starting-salary rule starting with the 2025-2026 school term.

Teachers: Specifically those with the same State instructional certification within the same grade span and salary class/step within a district.

State instructional certification holders: The standard applies to teachers with the same grade-span certification, ensuring equal starting compensation within districts.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Effective date: The act takes effect 60 days after enactment.

Effective initial year for implementation: School term 2025-2026 (and each term thereafter).

Referred historically to the Transportation Committee (per action history), though the bill text pertains to education and salary standards; this may reflect a committee assignment coordination rather than a substantive transportation issue.

Context and considerations

The bill focuses narrowly on starting salary parity for teachers with equivalent credentials within a district, aiming to reduce wage disparities among similarly qualified teachers at the outset of their employment.

It does not specify exact dollar amounts or salary scales, but requires districts to set uniform starting salaries across the defined teacher groups.

The policy could influence district budgeting and hiring practices, potentially affecting recruitment, retention, and workforce planning for teachers with the same certification in the same grade span.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill to current starting-salary practices in Pennsylvania districts or summarize any fiscal impact analyses or fiscal notes if they become available.