The State - News from Sept. 4, 1985

“My basic message to the public is we are starting to see movement in the schools. . .starting to see improvements, but we’ve got a long way to go,” state Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig told a Capitol press conference. He said “exploding enrollment growth”--from 2.8 million to 3.4 million over the next five years--will require construction of 26,140 more classrooms costing about $2.6 billion. Part of the money should come from a school construction bond measure expected on the 1986 ballot, Honig said. The state also needs to attract thousands of new teachers and spend more money to keep their salaries competitive with private industry, Honig said. Starting salaries should rise over the next five years from the current level of about $20,000 to $25,000, Honig said. Teachers with six or seven years’ experience should be able to earn $40,000 to $45,000, he added.