Lot's of good points below and a point to the importance of living within ones mean is also fair in my humble opinion. However- by no means do I think raising the starting pay to $60K is out of line, and $60 plus stipends turns into a good starting pay (thinking back to making $18K my first year...). My point- after rambling is what concerns me more is what is being done to raise the pay rate of the experienced teacher? Hardly fair for an experienced teacher (with 15+ years) to only make 12K to 15K more than a first year teacher. The real issue in my opinion is the rate of increase is not fair. Just my two cents. Flame away... happy Friday!