Freshman legislator Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, has authored House Bill 1957 that would dramatically increase the minimum salaries for public school teachers in the state.

Provenzano is a former administrator at Washington, Hale and Bixby high schools.

If passed, the new pay minimums would take effect for the 2020-2021 school year for certified personnel (teachers and administrators).

The starting minimum salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree would stay at $36,601 ($39,381 for a first-year teacher with a doctor’s degree).

The pay scale is based on the number of years employed and the level of formal education.

For a teacher with a bachelor degree, the second year minimum would jump to $37,699 – a increase of $1,098. With a doctor’s degree, that minimum would increase to $40,562 – a jump of $1,181.

Every category is increased. At the top the range, a teacher with 25 years of experience and a bachelor’s degree would get $76,634 – a hike of $2,232 from the current minimum. A 25-year veteran with a doctor’s degree would go to $82,455 a year – up $2,402.

But the most dramatic increases are for teachers and administrators with national board certification under this bill. With one year of certification, the minimum jumps from $39,583 to $40,323 but with 25 years of being certified, the pay minimum soars from $53,153 to $81,969 – an increase of $28,816. That’s a 54 percent increase.

Also, if a certified employee is making more than the minimum in the 2017-2018 school year, they are due a pay increase in the same amount as those paid the current minimum.