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Some teachers also tell him they will retire or leave the profession if they can.
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Superintendent Eric Becoats said a teacher told him they can move to neighboring districts and make $10,000 more - something the relatively small and poor district cannot compete with right now. Sylvia Allegretto, a senior economist who studies teacher compensation for the Center for Economic and Policy Research, called salary promises by governors one-time “Band-Aids” that barely keep up with inflation. “If you double the salary, maybe that would change their thinking.” “I know there are teachers willing to take pay cuts to leave the profession,” said Otto, 38, a science teacher in a rural Louisiana district. But at roughly $200 a month after taxes, it’s not enough to keep a teacher who feels burned out or demoralized, Otto said. economy.įor Rachaele Otto and other Louisiana teachers, the prospect of a $3,000 salary increase proposed by the governor might be appreciated. For men, it is 35% and for women it is 17% - reflecting the gender pay gap seen across the U.S. It has been widening for decades, researchers say. It reached a record 23.5% in 2021, with teachers earning an average 76.5 cents for every dollar earned by other college-educated professionals, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. Teachers do often qualify for public service loan forgiveness, which forgives their student debt after they’ve made 10 years of monthly payments.īesides fewer teachers getting certified, the “teacher pay penalty” - the gap between teacher salaries and their college-educated peers in other professions - is growing. Inflation peaked around 9% at the time.įor new recruits, the math of paying for a college education is grim: The national average beginning teacher salary was $42,845 in 2021-22, according to the NEA. The national average public school teacher salary in 2021-22 increased 2% from the previous year to $66,745, according to the NEA, the nation’s largest teachers union. Oklahoma’s governor is talking about awarding performance bonuses, but Morgan said he would only go back to teaching for substantially more money - like $65,000 a year. In Oklahoma, Joshua Morgan, 46, left his rural district a year ago because after 18 years he was still earning under $47,000. “I would not go back just for a higher salary,” Daniel said.
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