Let’s Face the Facts
· The average beginning teacher makes $30,997 per year. Many other professional careers, such as accounting, nursing, and business management receive higher starting salaries.
· The average teacher makes $43,302 per year.
· Thirty-five (35) states have average teacher salaries below the national average.
· Teachers with bachelor’s degrees are paid less than teachers with advanced degrees and similar years of experience (52 percent of teachers have no more than bachelor’s degrees).
· “Many teachers are struggling with multiple jobs in order to meet their personal financial obligations.” (reported in an article from the National Education Association)
· Teacher salaries, which rose 2.3 percent since last year, failed to keep pace with the nation’s 3.1 percent increase in inflation.
· As school districts struggle to fill teaching positions, new studies reveal that teacher salaries are not keeping up with cost-of living increases.
· Last year, average teacher salaries actually declined in three states — Maine, West Virginia and Alabama.
· The average salary for teachers, over the past 10 years, only rose 2% (after adjustment for inflation).
· Inflation is outpacing the growth of teacher salaries in more than 41 states.
· “It’s unsettling that when the rate of inflation is considered, on average, our teachers are actually earning less this year than they did the previous year.” – NEA President Reg Weaver.
