LEITCHFIELD, Ky. — Hundreds of Grayson County teachers protested for higher pay at a rally called "Stand for Student, Stand with Educators.”

What You Need To Know

  • Grayson County teachers held a protest over their salaries

  • Grayson County teachers received 3% raises, while educators in other counties, such as Hardin, received 6% raises

  • Despite the raises both Grayson and Hardin County teachers earn on average less than the state average for teachers

  • The Kentucky Legislature increased school funding in the state’s executive budget earlier this year. No direct raises for teacher were provided

Teachers from elementary to high school, substitutes and retirees held up signs as cars passed to protest their salary raises, which they believe should have been higher.

Adam Shrinks, a teacher for Grayson County Schools, said, “Other districts are paying higher than us and also doing bigger raises.”

Grayson County teachers received a 3% salary raise. According to the Kentucky Department of Education, the average salary for teachers in Grayson County was $52,078 for the 2023-2024 school year.

Other counties saw raises nearly double those in Grayson County. Hardin County educators received a 6% raise and saw average salaries of $57,421 in 2023-2024. Both numbers are also below the state’s average teacher salary, which is $58,788.

Because the salary is comparatively low to other parts in the state, teachers say their colleagues are leaving for other districts that offer higher pay.

Crystal Bratcher, a middle school PE teacher in Grayson County, said, “We’re losing excellent teachers because we’re nowhere near what they are paying. We want to make sure we stand up for our students, we want to make sure we get a bump up in pay, enough to keep our qualified teachers.”

State Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, was in the crowd, and he said he’s hopeful Grayson County teachers will get a 5% raise, but said it would likely take time.

“We’re spending 60 cents of every dollar on education. I hope we can invest more, but we’re still a poor state. We’re focusing on economic development and I think we’ll get there, but it will take us a while to get where we need to be financially,” Meredith said.

The Kentucky Legislature increased school funding in the state’s executive budget earlier this year. However, no direct raises for teacher were provided in the budget.

Republican legislative leaders said the funding should allow for schools to provide some raises.

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