Winnebago County’s top prosecutor believes a proposed pay increase for assistant district attorneys won’t make much of a difference.
Governor Evers and Majority Republicans are including a two percent raise in the two-year state budget.
DA Christian Gossett says starting pay needs to be higher, and they need to fund a “step program” to boost wages for experienced prosecutors. He says the average law school graduate faces $150,000 in debt. Over 30 years, the loan payment is around $900 a month. The average starting salary for a new prosecutor is $49,000.
Gossett says the two percent raise wouldn’t even keep up with inflation.
