“I know I speak for every elected leader throughout the state when I say we all owe the people of Alabama a debt of gratitude for their willingness to work with us as we have navigated one of the most challenging years in our state’s history,” Ivey said. “Make no mistake, this time last year things were different, much different.” The governor made few major proposals outside the pay raise, which she said was a way of expressing thanks for the dedication of educators and state employees during the pandemic. The teacher pay raise would cost $88 million; the state employee pay raise would cost about $13 million. Legislators have not ruled raises out. But with modest growth expected in the budgets, the proposals will have to compete with other ones, including investments in early math and reading programs.