CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – Teachers and other West Virginia state employees could be looking at a pay raise in the near future.
Governor Patrick Morrisey says he plans to include a raise for state employees in his budget for the next year, which he will announce at the beginning of the legislative session in January.
“It’s critical to invest in your people. I’ve always said that we want to become more competitive with the other states we touch, and that includes being competitive in salaries for teachers, school service personnel, and law enforcement,” Governor Morrisey said in an interview with Newswatch. “These are hardworking people. They make such a difference in our kids’ lives and our citizens’ lives. I think they deserve a pay raise, and we’re going to fight for that. And I anticipate that the legislature is going to be supportive of that as well.”
Governor Morrisey has not released specific details for the proposed raises. However, he said the raises are possible thanks to changes the state government has made to be more fiscally responsible.
“I know that we’ve been making the tough decisions to be fiscally responsible, and we’ve been good stewards of the taxpayer money,” he said. “But now having that investment is going to allow more kids to stay in our state and to really lead to better educational attainment.”
Governor Morrisey said he applauds lawmakers’ plans to spend a significant amount of time in the upcoming legislative session working on economic development. In a press conference earlier this week, House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw said the session will focus on jobs, education, and the economy.
The legislative session is slated to begin on January 14.
Governor Morrisey said efforts to make West Virginia more attractive to businesses will bring more jobs.
“It means investing in our workers and our workforce. That’s critical because we know there are a lot of good opportunities for electricians and plumbers and sheet metal workers and contractors. We’re also going to build on the success we’ve had in the last legislative session where we were able to improve people’s ability to get to work really fast,” he said. “West Virginia is on its way to having the fastest red tape-cutting machine in America.”
