ATLANTA — As the school year comes to a close this week for Atlanta Public Schools, Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson is looking ahead with a bold vision to raise the average teacher salary in the district to $100,000 by 2030.

“Yes, it’s absolutely doable,” Dr. Johnson said. “Is it a stretch goal? It’s something we’re going to have to make some really challenging decisions around, and for it to get there, yes, absolutely.”

The superintendent emphasized that increasing teacher pay is critical to attracting and retaining high-quality educators, which he says will directly benefit student success. “We are getting a more experienced teacher, which in turn, we’d like to believe is going to yield eventually better results,” he said.

According to Johnson, the district is already making progress toward that goal. The median salary for an APS teacher with a master’s degree mid-way through the pay scale now exceeds $90,000.

While acknowledging that tough financial decisions lie ahead, Dr. Johnson remains confident in the district’s path forward. “The more competitive we can make our salaries, the better results there will be for students,” he added.

WSB’s Austin Eller contributed to this story