Paying School Superintendents

Feb 10, 2008 - The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle examined the contracts of nineteen local school superintendents. They posted the contracts online.

They point out the normal contract provisions you can expect to see in a contract, some of which are surprising.

Salary Schedules

The 2007 - 2008 Salary Schedule for St. Tammany Parish School District, Louisiana.

Teacher Salaries

FLORIDA
Florida Department of Education Average Salaries 2005 - 2006 LINK
(Each school district in Florida, after collective bargaining activities, adopts a salary schedule for instructional personnel in that district. The state collects the data annually but only averages.)
TT looked at salaries at Broward County. TT - LINK

LOUISIANA
Louisiana by District or Experience Level for Years 1995 through 2006 LINK Louisiana Annual Teacher Salary Schedule 2006-2007 LINK (PDF and very large)

NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Public School Salary Schedules Fiscal Year 2006 - 2007

OKAHOMA
Oklahoma State Dept. of Edu. Minimum Teacher Salaries Beginning 2007-2008 Link

OTHER
Teacher Salary Myth from Coyote Blog.

From CalNews.com
Percentage By Which Average Teacher's State Wages Exceeded Average Worker's Wages

This is a work in progress. We will add salary schedules as we find them. We will also find benefits, days in the work year, benefits, including silk leave and other compensation when found.

Teachers' Salaries

We got this comment in an article about the high failure rate for teachers taking Teacher Competency Exams.

I can NOT believe this conversation is taking place. Does the public want quality teachers? Then PAY for them. For too long our society has sponged off the system that has teachers who teach because they love the children and love teaching. No more.

If you want to question your teachers' qualifications, then question away. The system allows under-informed teachers to teach because no one else will teach them. Want quality? Quality comes with a price, and the public is not willing to pay it.

Perhaps Hal missed the articles on what teachers actually make. And it isn't peanuts.

The Manhattan Institute tracks teachers' salaries. Closely. And while we haven't the research assistants, it's no hard job finding out how much Broward County (FL) teachers make. Starting salary right out of college: $37,000/year. It's $25.17 an hour That works out to an annual $50,340 if teachers worked the 2000 hours that is average in business. Or as we put it:

For approximately 9 months work - 200 days.

Paying no social security.

Fully paid contributions to Florida Retirement system.

Fully paid benefits: health, vision, dental and life.

No state or city income tax.

Fully paid disability insurance.

Ten days sick leave, accumulated from year to year, with no maximum.

You can even get a personal leave for cultural traveling.

Teachers might get more if they could do something else. They probably would, except that a large percentage of teachers wouldn't be employable in any other field except teaching. Private business couldn't afford them and stay solvent. Businesses wouldn't hire them and demand so little.And businesses surely couldn't survive with the bad publicity of four employees arrested for sex crimes with children if the business was based mainly on trust.And what does that say?

We thought all of that was worth saying again.

TT Scrutiny

Mar 31, 2007 - The Sun-Sentinel worries that male teachers in Broward County, Florida will have to deal with scrutiny in the classroom following arrests.

This year a wrestling coach, a Broward math teacher, a science teacher and a third-grade teacher all have been arrested on sexual molestation or child pornography charges. All four are men.

TT - The article calls for a little scrutiny itself. You can spot the input from the union in the story.

The Broward Teachers Union and colleges of education advise teachers never to be alone with a student. But if it happens, standard practice is for the classroom doors to remain open and for both student and teacher to sit so they are visible from the hallway.

If they are so effective in teacher training, then why were four teachers arrested in less than three months? That isn't counting the subsitute teachers who were arrested. Or the problem in Florida schools with the whole system when 70% of allegations are dismissed.

And, then there is this clue.

Men, stereotypically thought of as the family breadwinner, don't step into classrooms because of low pay, educators said.

However, if you visit the Broward Teachers Union website, you can find a Sun-Sentinel article, dated Aug 4, 2006 that contradicts that assertion.

Broward County's 1,800 new public school teachers could get a $2,000 raise before they step foot in a classroom this year, making them among the highest-paid neophyte teachers in the state.

The new teachers' salaries would jump from $35,000 to $37,000 under a tentative agreement reached Thursday between the Broward School Board and union leaders. Each of the county's roughly 17,000 teachers would get at least a $2,050 raise. The most experienced teachers would get an additional $2,488, bumping their base pay to just under $70,000.

They go on to note that "This raise would be in addition to the automatic 3.7 percent raise teachers and other instructional staff would receive for the 2007-08 school year next July."

Also found at the site, this Miami Herald story confirmation. "The school district's newest teachers -- those who were expecting to earn about $35,000 when they report to work next week - will instead be paid about $37,000, among the highest starting salaries in the state.

A starting pay of $37,000 for a candidate with 4-year-degree with absolutely no work experience isn't shabby. It's $25.17 an hour That works out to an annual $50,340 if teachers worked the 2000 hours that is average in business.

In addition, there are the supplementals, an opportunity for sabbatical leave with 75% of their salary and full benefits in critical fields (visually impaired, speech language impaired, media specialist or exceptional student education.) And an upfront $1,000 for first year teachers.

But, that's not all. There's also a professional sabbatical that will pay $500 a month and full benefits for a whole year if you want to, say, volunteer for a school board. The teacher can apply to transfer to a closer school if they have a hardship, like driving 20 miles one-way to work. There are signing bonuses, incentive awards, related work experience credit.

For approximately 9 months work - 200 days.
Paying no social security.
Fully paid contributions to Florida Retirement system.
Fully paid benefits: health, vision, dental and life.
No state or city income tax.
Fully paid disability insurance.
Ten days sick leave, accumulated from year to year, with no maximum.

You can even get a personal leave for cultural traveling.

Teachers might get more if they could do something else. They probably would, except that a large percentage of teachers wouldn't be employable in any other field except teaching. Private business couldn't afford them and stay solvent. Businesses wouldn't hire them and demand so little.

And businesses surely couldn't survive with the bad publicity of four employees arrested for sex crimes with children if the business was based mainly on trust.

And what does that say?

See Manhattan Institute Civic Report 50 "How Much Are Public School Teachers Paid?"