RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — One Virginia lawmaker is looking to give teachers a raise.

A bill introduced by Delegate-elect Nadarius Clark, (D-Suffolk), would require Virginia to pay its public school teachers at or above the national average. 

“Our teachers do a great job of educating the next generation, but sadly we don’t invest in them as we should,” Clark said.

According to the latest data from the National Education Association, the average Virginia teacher makes $61,367 — more than $5,000 below the national average. However, that data is from the 2021-22 school year and does not include more recent raises adopted by several states, including Virginia. 

“So many teachers have just been leaving Virginia, primarily due to other states being more competitive or just Virginia not stepping up to the plate,” Clark said. 

Clark’s proposal comes just months after a state report found that nearly 5% of all teaching positions were vacant at the start of the 2023-24 school year. 

“If we can’t have good teachers in those classrooms that care about the students that they are teaching, then we won’t get that world premiere education here in Virginia,” Clark said.

This investment will admittedly be expensive — although the actual dollar amount is still unclear, Clark said.

“This is going to be on a scale,” said Clark. “It won’t happen overnight. It will happen over a four-year period.” 

The bill would also ensure that school support staff are paid at or above the national average.