Lawmakers on Beacon Hill held a hearing this week on a bill that would raise the base salaries for teachers and support staff in Massachusetts.

“An Act Relative to Educator Pay,” filed by state Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, D-Sommerville, would establish a mandatory statewide minimum salary of $45,000 for support staff and increase the minimum salary for teachers to $65,000.

Uyterhoeven said the state last set a base pay for teachers in 1987, and some support staff salaries can start at $13,000 a year.

“I think it goes without saying that educators’ wages are abysmally low,” she said. “It is a complete disgrace that there are para-educators in the state that earn as little as $13,000 a year. Many districts start at under $20,000 a year, and it remains unusual or rare for districts to start a greater than $30,000 a year.

“It goes without saying that this is not a living wage, and it should come as no surprise that school districts across the state are struggling to recruit and retain educators.”

If the bill passes, school districts would be reimbursed by the state for the cost increases.