The 4 Biggest Questions About US Teacher Salaries in 2023
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Arguably, U.S. educators have never been under greater scrutiny. From discourse about remote learning to funding changes, resource debates, and the pressures of a learning recovery, it seems like few days go by without somebody deep-diving into their work.?
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One topic we see get considerably less media attention is what we’re paying them.?
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Teacher pay has declined slowly and fairly steadily over the past decade, but as the pressure on educators increases—and educators in other countries begin to strike over pay and conditions—many in the U.S. are looking for answers to a series of pressing questions.??
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On average,?teachers were paid around $65,090 in the U.S. in 2022, but that’s an average across a huge spectrum of places, experience levels, and specializations. There’s no standardized national teacher pay structure in the U.S., so salaries are usually at the discretion of districts and individual schools.?
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California, New York, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia all pay on average $80,000 or more—but while a teacher earning around $80k in California is paid 28.5% more than the state average yearly income, a teacher earning that same salary in the District of Columbia is paid 18% less.??
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At the other end of the scale, one of the lowest-salaried states is South Dakota, paying teachers around $49,993—though that’s still 6.8% higher than the state average.?
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It’s also worth noting that many teachers cite struggling to develop their abilities and salaries as a site of problems, with reports of coming up against financial freezes and funding conversations when discussing additional training, specialization, and wages that better reflect their experience.??
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2.????What is the government saying about teaching salaries in 2023??
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Lawmakers across the political spectrum have made?raising teacher pay a priority at their State of the State address, and Democrats in both the U.S. House and Senate have introduced legislation that would see?every educator in the U.S. receive at least a $60k base salary.??
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It’s based on findings from the?NEA’s study of Teacher Salary Benchmarks, which found that starting salaries are often incredibly low, which many in government cite as the reason so many states are struggling to recruit enough teachers in 2023. While a teacher with 15 years of teaching experience can command a livable salary, newer ones may not be able to, leading many young people to consider other options.??
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3.????Is there a teaching recruitment crisis??
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Most learners who headed back to class last fall will have been?met by a full-time teacher?for the year—but some?governors are becoming more than a little troubled?about the landscape ahead, with open positions staying vacant longer than we’d have expected a few years ago.??
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It is, however, widely agreed that teaching numbers have slipped during the last decade, and more people are leaving the profession early. This may be due to the following:?
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The loss is worrying—yet another, perhaps even more pressing issue is that the number of people entering the profession is falling too.?
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4.????Why do fewer new people want to teach U.S. learners??
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It’s widely agreed that?teachers are paid relatively low salaries compared to professions that require a similar educational background. According to the NEA figures, some average starting salaries are as low as $32k—and with rising house prices and climbing cost-of-living, many young graduates aren’t attracted to the profession because it doesn’t give them enough to live independently, especially in cities.?
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As well as the financial pressures of teaching, many prospective educators are also weighing up the targets, pressure, and?50+ hour working weeks?that many teachers have to deal with: it’s very possible to find even entry-level work that pays a similar amount where the stakes and the stress levels are far lower.??
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It’s heartening to hear lawmakers are considering a meaningful change in educator salaries and working to financially incentivize graduates back into the profession. However, many in the U.S. educator community have cited the pressures of the career as an equally pressing concern that needs attention too: educator burnout is rife, especially post-pandemic, and many are wondering just how much it’s possible to give long-term.??
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