Difference Between Teachers' Expected Salaries and Their Received Paychecks
In the education sector, the conversation around teacher salaries and benefits has been a hot topic in recent times. A survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center from February to April 2023 sheds light on this issue, providing insights from 710 teachers, 507 district leaders, and 447 principals.
The survey findings reveal that administrators, including district leaders and principals, desire higher pay. Median answers for their desired salaries were $150,000 and $120,000, compared to their actual salaries of $125,000 and $100,000.
Interestingly, 63% of teachers underestimate the cost of teacher benefits, which amounts to about half of an average teacher's salary. This misconception is shared by 53% of school leaders and 47% of district leaders as well.
Districts are spending an average of 55% of their budgets on employee salaries and 24% on benefits. These figures highlight the significant portion of budgets allocated towards educator compensation.
The survey results come at a time when districts are seeking to create conditions that allow them to recruit and retain talented teachers. This is particularly important given the challenges districts face, such as inflation that erodes teacher spending power, growing health care costs, and tight budgets.
In a bid to address these issues, politicians have called for increases to educator salaries in recent years. Some states have passed school funding increases or mandates for districts to increase teacher pay. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Edward Markey have reintroduced education bills that require states to increase minimum salaries for teachers to $60,000 and the minimum wage for support staff to $45,000 or $30 per hour.
The National Education Association's annual survey on educator pay, released in April 2023, estimated the average teacher salary would increase by 3% in the 2024-25 school year to $74,177. However, when adjusted for inflation, teachers make about 5.1% less than they did 10 years ago.
A new survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center on behalf of Allovue found that teachers would consider a median salary of $85,000, which is 25% higher than the median actual salary of $68,000. This suggests a willingness among teachers to consider higher salaries to compensate for the rising costs associated with their profession.
The survey findings also show that 67% of teachers believe their district should spend a "much larger share" of their budget on teacher salaries, a decrease from 73% and 74% in previous years. This could indicate a growing awareness among teachers about the importance of adequate compensation.
Jess Gartner, Allovue's founder and CEO, serves on the board of trustees for Editorial Projects in Education, the nonprofit publisher of Education Week. The Education Week newsroom, which did not participate in the survey project, independently reported its results.
The survey about teacher salaries conducted by EdWeek Research Center was done by Education Week, which is connected to the K-12 companies under Editorial Projects in Education (EPE). Despite this connection, the survey results provide valuable insights into the current state of teacher salaries and the perceptions of educators and administrators regarding their compensation.
In conclusion, the survey findings underscore the need for districts to reconsider their budget allocations to better support educators. As the education sector navigates through challenging times, ensuring fair and competitive salaries for teachers will be crucial in attracting and retaining talented educators.
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