“It’s a wonder we have any.” Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association made this statement during a webinar addressing the inequities that bar teacher and student success. And for teachers, salary continues to be one of the top factors driving them away from the profession.
According to a recent report from Horace Mann Educators Corporation, a financial services company that focuses on educators, nearly two-thirds (63%) of educators nationally revealed they are considering abandoning the profession for good. Needless to say, more than half (57%) believe better compensation would be what it takes to keep them in the classroom.
In Ector County ISD in Texas, teacher pay has become one of the most-targeted initiatives. Now, they have teachers making over $100,000 a year, and they’re happy.
“We’re the highest-paying district in the region,” said Superintendent Scott Muri in a recent interview with District Administration. “We have teachers that have the ability to earn over $100,000 a year in our district. We actually have teachers that make more than administrators today, which as an administrator makes me smile greatly. When I hear an administrator say, ‘I need to leave administration to become a teacher so I can make more money,’ that makes me smile because that’s the way it should be.”
This district isn’t the only one that’s working to change the status quo. In fact, this is the focus in several states, according to the Education Commission of the States, an organization that compiles a summary of the education-related proposals given by governors during their 2023 State of the State Addresses. According to the list, teacher compensation and diversified pay are top of mind in these states:
- Colorado: Recommended to districts how they can use extra funds to bump teacher pay.
- Delaware: Proposed a substantial hike in teacher pay for teachers in the state budget.
- Georgia: “Touted” increasing teacher pay by $5,000; Proposed an additional $2,000 bump in pay.
- Hawaii: Announced the “Educator Tax Credit” for teachers to receive a $500 credit to support students.
- Idaho: Proposed increasing starting pay and an increase for all teachers with an average salary increase of $6,300.
- Indiana: Proposed contributing an additional $1 billion to the pension fund; celebrated recent efforts to improve compensation, such as a state-wide starting salary of $40,000.
- Iowa: Proposed giving schools the freedom to use nearly $100 million in unspent funds designed for specific programs to go toward increasing salaries.
- Kansas: Mentioned a “sales holiday tax” that would lessen the burden on teachers paying for school supplies for their classrooms.
- Kentucky: Proposed a 5% pay raise for public school teachers.
- Mississippi: Celebrated signing legislation giving educators the largest pay raise in state history.
- Missouri: Celebrated 2022’s funding which allowed more than 11,000 veteran educators to receive increased pay through a career ladder program; celebrated the “Teacher Baseline Salary Grant” program, which raised baseline pay from $25,000 to $38,000 for more than 6,000 teachers; proposed to contribute an additional $32 million into the career ladder program to benefit even more teachers.
- Montana: Celebrated the TEACH Act of 2021, which proved incentives for schools to bump starting pay, benefiting nearly 500 new teachers.
- New Mexico: Emphasized salary increases; advocated for covering health care premiums and a 4% pay raise for school personnel.
- Oklahoma: Celebrated the state’s recent changes to teacher pay; proposed performance-based pay raises.
- South Carolina: Noted a gradual increase in teacher salaries over the last six years; proposed raising salaries by $2,500 at every step of the state’s salary schedule; proposed a minimum starting salary of $50,000 by 2026; proposed a one-time $2,500 retention supplement for all teachers.
- Tennessee: Proposed a $125 million increase in pay across the board; proposed increasing minimum pay to $50,000.
- Texas: Celebrated recent efforts to increase pay.
- Utah: Noted the importance of teacher quality and designated 2023 as “the year of the teacher”; committed to increasing teacher pay.
- Virgin Islands: Proposed bumping pay to help teachers meet basic needs; noted growth in general funds that result in increased pay.
- Virginia: Celebrated recent efforts to increase pay and committed to increasing investments in teachers; proposed retention bonuses and a $50 million performance-based program.
- West Virginia: Proposed bumping pay by 5%for state workers, including teachers.
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