Editorial: STARS Act raises the floor, but lowers the ceiling

The base salary for new teachers at Kalispell Public Schools will continue its upward trajectory, thanks in part to a state effort to drag Montana’s embarrassingly low teacher wages out of the cellar.

A new two-year contract between the Kalispell Education Association and the district boosts the starting teacher wage to $48,763. In 2027, that salary will rise to $49,463.

Just three years ago, a first-year educator in Kalispell with a bachelor’s degree earned $38,385.

The latest pay increase was sparked by the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success Act, or STARS Act. The legislation incentivizes Montana public schools to raise starting teacher pay in exchange for increased funding.

Sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, the measure was widely praised during the 2025 session, and deservedly so. Montana ranked dead last in average starting teacher salary last year at $36,682, which has significantly affected the state’s ability to recruit and retain young educators.

The $100 million STARS Act aims to erase that dreadful distinction.

The law’s guidelines set the base salary threshold at 64% of the average teacher wage within a district, with that percentage rising to 70% by 2030.

To meet that mark, Kalispell’s latest labor contract delivers raises as a flat-dollar amount across the entire pay matrix. That means every teacher, regardless of tenure or education level, will receive the same pay increase: $1,050 in 2026 and $700 in 2027.

Flat-dollar raises compress pay gaps, and district officials said a percentage-based increase would not have enabled Kalispell to meet the STARS Act threshold.

Because of that, the percentage increase for Kalispell’s most experienced and qualified teachers will be significantly smaller. For a mid-career teacher making $65,000, the flat-dollar increase equates to a 1.6% raise, below the federal government’s recommended 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for inflation. The percent raise for higher earners will be even less.

While the STARS Act has proven to be an effective incentive to raise base wages in Kalispell, it has unintentionally shifted the burden onto veteran educators, ultimately reducing the value of longevity and service.

Lawmakers should analyze this trade-off ahead of the 2027 session to ensure wage gains at the bottom are not coming at the expense of experienced teachers who paved the way.