New teacher pay is not only abysmally low, it’s lower than salaries 30 years ago.
“All across the nation, schools are having trouble filling vacant job openings for teachers. It’s a problem that’s been manifesting for years, but thanks to the pandemic, the teacher shortage crisis has worsened with no end in sight.
While there are numerous factors causing teacher shortages, the most glaring issue is that teacher wages have been largely stagnant over the years, particularly when it comes to starting salaries for new teachers.
In fact, based on our analysis, we found that new teachers are earning nearly 11% less than they were about 30 years ago when accounting for inflation.
If starting salaries for new teachers had kept pace with inflation over the last 3 decades, a first-year teacher would be making $46,762 per year right now. Instead, the average annual income for a new teacher is around $41,780 according to our estimates.
That’s a difference of nearly $4,982 a year, representing an earnings decline of just under 11%.
And as gas prices reach record highs, driving up the cost of commuting, and inflation continues to surge with no end yet in sight, the gap between what new teachers should be earning and what they’re actually taking home will likely continue to widen.
Not only that, but we also found that a first-year teacher is earning about 25% less per year than the average new college graduate who makes over $55,000 annually.
Taking all of this into consideration, it’s probably not all that surprising to hear that multiple reports show enrollment in education majors is sharply declining, meaning there will be fewer new teachers in the coming years.”
For the rest of the story, visit MyLearningWorld.com.
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