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Teaching Salaries in the United States

Teaching Salaries in the United States

Teaching Salaries is the payment a teacher receives in exchange for their time spent fulfilling duties outlined by the chosen employer.

"The median annual Public School Teacher salary is $54,801, as of October 30, 2017, with a range usually between $47,841-$63,268, however this can vary widely depending on a variety of factors." Salary.com

Today, teaching salaries vary state by state and district by district. Each state governs their salary schedule. One significant factor in teachers pay is the type of neighborhood the school exits in. For example, in the state of Texas, many school districts are Independent School Districts. In Texas, this means they draw their salaries from property taxes. If the school district is located in an upper-class neighborhood, where property values are higher and more substantial taxes are paid per property, then that district or school would receive a substantial amount of funds to pay their teachers well. On the other hand, if a school exists in a lower-class neighborhood, fewer taxes would be generated out of the population and teachers are paid less.

Income inequality not only exists between teaching and other various professions but also within the different types of communities taught. Lower-class neighborhoods have fewer teachers, meaning there is a gap in student to teacher ratio. These schools also have more teachers with little to no experience, and because of this, the most impoverished schools have a much lower salary base pay.

Another significant element in a teacher’s salary is their experience and credentials earned. Teaching incomes increase with each new year they teach. Teachers are required to achieve higher proficiency to instill a “world class” education to a varied student population. Teachers are also being bidden to take on additional expansive leadership roles outside of their classrooms as well. The administration has also made it mandatory for teachers to turn their attention to each students achievement in state testing. Each new responsibility does nothing to secure a higher scale of pay.

Teaching Duties
The typical duties of a teacher include:
 * Prepares lesson plans and instructs students in an assigned school.
 * Develops and implements grade appropriate course work to meet the academic of children in a K-12 classroom setting.
 * Evaluates and monitors student's performance.
 * Assesses and documents students' progress.
 * Participates in development and implementation of Individual Education Plans for specific students.
 * May participate in implementing special programs for students.
 * May supervise teaching assistants. Requires a bachelor's degree.
 * Typically reports to the principal.
 * May require certification.
 * Gaining exposure to some of the complex tasks within the job function.
 * Occasionally directed in several aspects of the work.
 * Typically requires 2 to 4 years of related experience.

History of Teaching Salaries in the United States
In the mid-18th century, men dominated the role of schoolmasters. Mostly for a few months at a time and were not known to be highly educated. Public school started with a type of school called “Common Schools.” These schools were designed to allow anyone to attend without regard to race, religion or social class. The Common School, funded by taxpayer’s dollars and fees required for students. These schools became more sophisticated in the subjects such as, arithmetic, literacy, and instill knowledge of how to become a “productive democratic citizens” that were offered and would need more skilled teachers heading the classroom. With men needing to take more industrialized jobs, the need for a woman to teach became prevalent.

"God seems to have made woman peculiarly suited to guide and develop the infant mind, and it seems... very poor policy to pay a man 20 or 22 dollars a month, for teaching children the ABCs, when a female could do the work more successfully at one third of the price." -- Littleton School Committee, Littleton, Massachusetts, 1849 (PBS.org – Only a Teacher)

As time went on the requirements for becoming a teacher became more structured, but this did nothing for the hope of higher pay. As women took over more than 75% of teaching jobs, men controlled what was taught and how it was taught. As the number of teachers increased unions were constructed to protect the rights of women, including their wages, pensions, and rights. By late 1850’s the American Federation of Teachers was formed. As more time passed, two teachers’ unions had been created, The AFT, and the NEA – National Education Association.

"The AFT, on the other hand, was always much more of a grass- roots teachers' organization. It was formed in 1897 as the Chicago Teachers Federation, with the explicit aim of improving teachers' salaries and pensions. Catherine Goggin and Margaret Haley allied the CFT with the labor movement, going so far as to join the American Federation of Labor - an act that horrified everyone who wanted to see teaching as genteel, white-collar employment. At the same time, the union conceived its work in terms of broader social improvement, bettering the lives of the poor and the alienated. By 1916, several local unions had come together to form the AFT. In the 1940s, the AFT began collective bargaining with local school boards, which again horrified some people. Collective bargaining always carries the threat of strikes, and teachers, as servants of the community, were long seen as both too indispensable and too noble to engage in work stoppages. The issue of strikes remains contentious today." (PBS.org – Only a Teacher)

Alabama
2017-2018 Teacher Salary Matrix

California
In the state of California, teaching salaries vary just as they do with any other state, but in most cases, the wage is livable and deserving. An estimate of the average salaries in 2015-2016 for public school teachers for the State of California was $77,179. Also, Californian teachers feel empowered to voice their opinions, say they have more impact on decisions and policies in their schools. Peer-led and school-based training in the state, are helping teachers feel more and more satisfied with the instructional materials they are using and receiving. Teacher shortages are becoming an impending issue for the California, but many teachers are still rising and owning their responsibility to the children and speaking up for change.

Oklahoma
“No state has suffered more than Oklahoma when it comes to education funding over the past decade. As it has struggled to balance its budget in the face of declining oil revenue, spending on schools has declined further than anywhere else. Oklahoma now spends $1 billion less on K-12 education than it did a decade ago.” (governing.com) The state is cutting funds due to massive budget shortfalls. As of just a few days ago, in a way to stop the bleeding, tried to approve a new budget of adding taxes to certain things that would not only fill most of the current shortfall, but It would have allowed for teachers in our state to receive a $3,000 pay raise. Oklahoma also leads the numbers of emergency certifications it has had to dish out due to teachers fleeing the state. In 2016-17 1,160 applicants were approved for emergency certification; this year, that number is up 574 more at 1,429.

Wisconsin
Governor Scott Walker passed a bill called the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill that caused strong protests across the state. After the Governor came into office, there was a 3.6 billion dollar deficit, and this bill was promised to help fill the void. The bill would cut funding to help local governments including $792 million to school districts across the state. This bill also made it very difficult for public sector unions to bargain with public sector employers. This bill required employees, including teachers to pay 5.8% of their pensions and 12.6% of their health insurance cost. Prior to this adjustment, Merit Pay was being used in a way known as a “steps and ladders” approach. Teachers were paid for their seniority and educational credits regardless of their performance and student outcomes meaning teachers had no reason to continue to improve their teaching styles to keep up with student performance.