DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A task force created earlier this year by the Iowa Legislature is proposing to raise the base pay for Iowa teachers by $7,000. The Task Force on Teacher Leadership and Compensation’s proposal would bump starting salaries for public school teachers from $28,000 to $35,000. Committee members say the increase would likely raise the average earnings of a first-year teacher statewide from $32,000 to $40,000. Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass says more than 190 of the state’s 348 school districts set their base pay at the state minimum of $28,000. The task force will discuss the proposal and others at its Sept. 21 meeting. Committee members will vote on which recommendations to include in an Oct. 15 report to the Legislature.