Seeing STARS: Nearly every district in state boosted by program to increase starting teacher pay

Leading up to the COVID pandemic, Montana public schools were falling farther behind when it came to starting teacher pay.

After the pandemic, inflation and cost of housing made starting to teach in Montana very difficult.

But a new program, passed by the 2025 Legislature, has already boosted starting teacher pay and kept districts from struggling with open positions, according to school leaders. In fact, the program has become so successful that nearly every district has been able to leverage it to help retain early-career teachers.

But it was House Bill 252, Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success Act, or “STARS,” passed by the 2025 Legislature, that helped boost the starting pay. For districts, it meant a stretch of the budget: The new law says that for districts to q