Educator Salary News

The latest on teacher and educator support professional salaries from around the country.

Retiring Baby Boomers Leave Schools With Big Shoes to Fill  
Portland Press Herald, June 25, 2008
Mark Gray, executive director of the Maine Education Association, the state's largest teacher's union, said it is not clear whether Maine is going to be as well-positioned as other New England states to lure new teachers to replace the baby boomers. Maine salaries lag behind the rest of the region.

Patrick rolls out plan to boost teacher salaries
Boston Globe, June 25, 2008
Saying that teachers are the keys to great schools, Governor Deval Patrick unveiled proposals yesterday in his education plan aimed at boosting teacher quality and keeping teachers in the classroom longer.

Union to lobby for LAUSD
Los Angeles Daily News, June 24, 2008
About 200 confirmed Service Employees International Union members have been planning a trip to the state Capitol to launch their "summer of action" campaign to urge state legislators to think twice before slashing nearly $400 million from the LAUSD.  The union, representing about 40,000 Southern California nonteachers, including assistants, cafeteria workers, custodians and others, chartered four buses and loaded them with LAUSD employees planning to lobby lawmakers about the serious implications cuts would have on students, including layoffs and fewer programs.

Better Quality Teachers
New York Times, June 23, 2008
Higher salaries have clearly played a role in strengthening the city’s teacher corps.

NJ teachers union plans to protest benefit cuts
The Star-Ledger, June 20, 2008
The New Jersey Education Association, which represents 205,000 teachers and other school workers, plans to protests outside 30 state senators' offices Friday against a bi-partisan package that would scale back pension and health benefits.

Divide widens over support staff contract
Detroit News, June 20, 2008
After 15 months of negotiations and two rejected contracts, the Brighton school district's support staff union may take legal action to push for a resolution.

NC teacher pay is still below US average
Charlotte Observer,  June 9, 2008
Starting N.C. teacher salaries are less than $30,000 a year, and average teacher pay hovers around $45,000. Gov. Mike Easley has proposed a state budget that would boost teachers' pay by an average of 7 percent.

North Slope Borough raises annual teacher salaries to $50000
Arctic Sounder,  June 5, 2008
A recent pay raise is designed to make candidates more likely to accept teaching in the North Slope Borough School District.

A Bargaining Team of 50 Union Members Rocks Their District
IEA Blog, May 22, 2008
So many folks showed up that night was because the bargaining team told them that the union was working on their salary, and that the district had repeatedly said the members weren’t worth it.

Teacher pay-cut plan may draw legal fight
Herald Tribune, May 21, 2008
The school district and the teachers union could be headed for a legal battle over plans to cut teacher pay by 1 percent.

Unionization Substantially Increases the Wages of Low-Wage Workers
Center for Economic and Policy Research, May 15, 2008
After decades of disappointing wage growth for many American workers, a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that unionization significantly boosts the wages of low-wage workers.

Unique measures may help recruit teachers
Greenville News, April 28, 2008
Faced with a looming teacher shortage, state education officials have embraced some innovative strategies to recruit new educators, including mortgage assistance.

N.O. teachers earning bigger paychecks
The Times Picayune, April 14, 2008
Average salaries for New Orleans public school teachers have jumped by more than 16 percent since Hurricane Katrina, a rise that local educators attribute to statewide raises and increased competition by schools to recruit good teachers.

Mo. House revives plan to boost minimum teachers' salaries
Belleville News Democrat,  April 10, 2008
Missouri must subsidize teacher salaries in districts that aren't paying much in order to attract and keep the most qualified instructors.

US flunks in teacher pay compared to other countries
HULIQ.com, April 2, 2008
Not only is teacher pay losing ground compared to other professions (see The Teaching Penalty) teacher pay in the U.S. lags far behind other industrialized countries.

Teachers need bigger salaries
SUU Journal Online, Mar 30, 2008
The National Center for Education Statistics found that 48 percent of teachers quit in 2001 because of poor salary or benefits. Teachers deserve to be paid

Layoff notices set to hit teachers' mailboxes
San Francisco Chronicle, March 14, 2008
More than 10,100 teachers will see pink slips in their mailboxes over the next few days as districts up and down California meet a Saturday deadline to warn staff of anticipated layoffs due to the state's budget crisis.

North Harrison teachers rally, seek raise
Louisville Courier-Journal, March 14, 2008
North Harrison teachers have been asking for an annual raise of 1.8 percent, an amount that a state-appointed fact-finder last fall found to be "moderate" and recommended that the school board accept.

Teacher Pay: A Crisis?
KPTM Fox News, Nebraska, March 8, 2008
“New national numbers show Nebraska slipping even closer to the bottom when it comes to teachers' salaries. Education advocates say the situation is reaching crisis proportions, as higher pay lures teachers to other states.

At Charter School, Higher Teacher Pay
New York Times, March 6, 2008
A New York City charter school, which will run from fifth to eighth grades, is promising to pay teachers $125000, plus a potential bonus based on school-wide performance.

Lawmakers agree on school funding, teacher raises
Rapid City News, March 3, 2008
The state Legislature gave final approval Friday to a last-minute school-funding compromise that would supply extra state money to improve the paychecks of South Dakota teachers, who are the lowest paid in the nation.

Quality teachers, schools require quality pay
Chronicle-Tribune, March 3, 2008
You can't expect to get quality schools when college-educated, post-graduate degree-holding professionals are paid near the bottom of the state and national scale and their health benefit packages are being slashed at the same time.

For many teachers, 2 jobs a prerequisite
Miami Herald, Feb. 12, 2008
A growing number of South Florida teachers are working second jobs outside the school system. Their jobs run the gamut: Some wait tables while others work as paralegals, sales associates -- even grocery store clerks.

Schools eye outsourcing lunch program, janitorial services
Salem News, Feb. 7, 2008
On the heels of cutting nearly three dozen jobs last Friday, the Salem schools are looking to save additional money by privatizing the school lunch program and possibly custodians.

Virginia Education Association releases teacher salary study
News & Advance, Jan. 14, 2008
The Virginia Education Association recently released its annual teacher salary study, which is giving teachers and administrators something to talk about - competition. The association’s president, Princess Moss, said the report is released this time of year to aid school districts during budget season and allow superintendents to gauge the competition.

Teacher Salary Survey Released
Austin American-Statesman,   Jan, 10, 2008
Teacher salaries are up slightly, according to the 2007-08 Salaries and Benefits in Texas Public Schools Teacher Report.

ABC thinks you’re rich; 'U.S. News' says your job is cushy
Inside Higher Ed, Jan. 7, 2008
Charlie Gibson was treated to jeers when he commented, during the Jan. 5 Presidential debates, that two married professors at Saint Anselm College would likely be in the $200,000 income bracket. Inside Higher Ed dissects the faulty assumption behind his gaffe, as well as the claims in a U.S. News & World Report article on faculty salaries and "perks."

Bill to set minimum teacher salary expected
KXMC (Minot, SD), Jan. 7, 2008
A Republican state senator says he may introduce a bill setting a minimum starting salary of around $30,000 for South Dakota teachers, to move the state out of last place in the nation in teacher pay.

Task force suggests higher teacher salaries
The West Virginia State Journal, Dec. 20, 2007
With one out of every five teachers in the state's public schools eligible for retirement at the end of the present school year, a special task force has made several recommendations to fill the holes, including increasing teacher pay.

Smarter teachers leave sooner
Austin American-Statesman, Dec. 17, 2007
The Statesman's editorial board celebrates a recent report's finding that teachers are more qualified than ever, but warns that Texas must confront the salary problems that drive experienced teachers from the classroom.

Teacher salaries far short of national average
Culpeper Star Exponent,  Dec. 17, 2007
A study released last week by the National Education Association revealed that Culpeper teacher salaries don’t even come close to the national average.

Iowa teacher salaries bump up a notch
Sioux City Journal,  Dec. 13, 2007
A 5 percent jump in average teacher salaries helped nudge Iowa 's teacher-pay ranking up one notch.

NSEA seeking state help to raise teacher pay
Grand Island Independent, Nov. 28, 2007
NSEA President Jess Wolf said 40 percent of Nebraska's teachers are "at or will be at" retirement age in the next five years, but that Nebraska's teacher colleges are not producing enough graduates to fill those potential vacancies. He said 45 percent of people who graduate with education majors leave Nebraska for jobs in other states for higher pay.

N. Texas nursing schools address critical teacher shortage
Dallas Morning News, Nov. 28, 2007
Texas requires nursing instructors to have at least a master's degree, which in a nonacademic setting such as a hospital or doctor's office could garner an annual salary of $80,000 or more. Area colleges pay them a little more than $40,000 a year.

Many teachers working second jobs to make ends meet
Nashua Telegraph, Nov. 26, 2007
According to the Nashua Teachers Union, 41 percent to 50 percent of teachers who responded said they work second jobs. The highest rate was at the high school level, where one of every two teachers said they work a second job.

School boards association is missing the big point
Bismarck Tribune, Nov. 26, 2007
"Opening a big-time can of worms" is how this editorial in the Bismarck Tribune characterizes the North Dakota School Boards Association's resolution recommending that compensation be taken off the table in teacher contract negotiations and replaced with a statewide contract. The newspaper recommends keeping compensation between teachers and their local school boards -- and paying teachers appropriate wages and benefits.

Now is the time to raise community college faculty salaries
Iowa State Education Association, Nov. 20, 2007
When the Iowa Legislature convenes in January, the ISEA will be pushing lawmakers to make community college faculty salaries more competitive by raising the statewide average to 25th in the nation. According to data released by the National  Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average salary for faculty at the two-year schools has dropped two notches -- from 30th to 32nd. That's down considerably from a high of 24th in the nation back in 1994.

First-year teachers get $50K
Star-Ledger News, Nov. 16, 2007
Several school districts across New Jersey will set pay for a first-year teacher at $50,599, according to the state's teachers union.  "And there's probably another dozen in the pipeline, too," said Robert Willoughby, assistant director of research for the New Jersey Education Association.  The NJEA in the last year has made the $50,000 mark the focus of a salary campaign titled "$50K The First Day."

WVEA warns of teacher shortage
Register-Herald, Nov. 9, 2007
“West Virginia  faces a looming “crisis” in the form of a teacher shortage, West Virginia Education Association vice president Dale Lee warns. To avert what he sees as a coming train wreck, his organization will propose a two-pronged solution to the state Legislature when it convenes in January — increase the starting salary for West Virginia teachers from their present statewide average of $29,114 to $35,000 and put in place a plan to attain and maintain the average West Virginia teacher salary at the national average.

A Fortunate Move
Nebraska Education Association, Nov. 1, 2007
A Nebraska  college graduate's move across the Missouri illustrates the teacher salary pressure Nebraska faces.

Officials say low pay, stereotypes still keeping men out of classroom
Athens  Banner-Herald, Oct. 26, 2007
Low pay and long-held notions that teaching is "woman's work" still are keeping men away from the classroom, says NEA President Reg Weaver said.

Debate over teacher pay
KSFY.com (Sioux Falls, SD), Oct. 23, 2007
South Dakota ranks last in the nation for teacher salary, and educators voice their concerns about the quality of education children will receive because of it.

Boost salaries, and state will have its pick of teachers
The Tennessean.com, Oct. 17, 2007
The editorial staff of The Tennessean says a new state law requiring districts to offer incentives and bonuses to lure new teachers is short-sighted. "One-time bonuses may or may not attract teachers from out of state; higher overall salaries, and expectation of reasonable, across-the-board raises, will almost guarantee their interest."

Would-be teachers face too many barriers
Charleston Daily Mail, Oct. 16, 2007
Fewer college students are studying to teach higher-level math, science, language and special education; the pay is not high enough.

Minnesota facing a teacher shortage
KARE – Minneapolis, Oct. 15, 2007
Qualified science and math teachers can take a job in the private sector and earn twice the starting teacher's salary.

How to Stem the Teacher Attrition Crisis
Huffington Post, Oct. 15, 2007
The urban teacher "dropout" problem is fixable. Through better mentoring and in-school support for new teachers, smaller class sizes, and more competitive pay, the revolving door can be stopped.

City Will Help Pension Plans Build Housing for Teachers
New York Times, Oct. 5, 2007
For the first time in years, New York City  is helping to finance apartment buildings designed to provide relatively low-cost housing for a single profession: teachers and educators.

Oneco teacher rewarded for buying supplies
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Oct. 2, 2007
The National Education Association estimates teachers across the country spend $4 billion of their own money each year to keep their students and classes supplied, which works out to roughly $443 per teacher. Florida  teachers get some money for supplies from their school districts, from state coffers and from civic group fundraisers and donations made by local businesses. But the funds never stretch far enough, teachers say.