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Rep. Daniel Boman, D-Sulligent, speaks at a rally in support of a pay raise for education employees and a cost of living increase for education retirees in Montgomery, Ala., on March 18, 2014 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- Retired and active education employees rallied at the Alabama State House today and called for the Legislature to approve pay raises.

The House of Representatives is debating the education budget for fiscal year 2015 today.

Gov. Robert Bentley proposed a 2 percent raise for education employees. But legislators have changed that, and the current budget bill, which would spend $5.9 billion from the Education Trust Fund, includes no raises.

The Alabama Education Association had earlier asked for 6 percent raises for employees and retirees. At today’s rally, AEA Executive Secretary Henry Mabry called for the 2 percent raise the governor proposed, plus a 2 percent cost of living increase for education retirees.

“The Republican leadership, they’re not going to support any raise,” Mabry said. “So we’re going to try to get the governor’s proposal adopted (plus the retirees’ raise).”

The Republican budget chairmen have said there is not enough money available for a pay raise and for the level of increase in funding for the Public Education Employees’ Health Insurance Program sought by the governor.

The budget now pending would increase funding for PEEHIP, but not to the extent Bentley proposed. PEEHIP faces a projected $220 million shortfall next year.

Mabry said money for raises and full PEEHIP funding is available. He and Democratic lawmakers have criticized a GOP-sponsored law known as the rolling reserve act. That law, passed in 2011, sets a cap on ETF spending based on revenues from the previous 15 years.

"The money is there," Mabry said. "What they want to do is set the money aside in a savings account under the rolling reserve act."

Bentley's proposed budget exceeded the rolling reserve cap by $92 million. The current version of the budget exceeds it by $24 million.

Democratic lawmakers say that shows Republicans are willing to break the cap, so they cannot use the cap as a reason not to give raises.

Several Democratic legislators spoke at today's rally.

Rep. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, called on people at the rally to change the Legislature in this year's elections.

"Get rid of the (Republican) supermajority and bring people who value educators and education back," the veteran lawmaker told the crowd.

Education employees in K-12 schools received a 2 percent raise in this year's budget. It was their first raise since fiscal year 2008.

Retirees last received a cost of living increase in fiscal year 2007.

A 2 percent raise for employees in K-12 and two-year colleges would cost about $76 million a year, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. A 2 percent cost of living adjustment for education retirees would cost about $24 million the first year, according to the LFO.