DALLAS (NewsNation) — As teachers prepare to return to the classrooms this fall, many may not receive salary increases, and those who do might find them insufficient to keep up with inflation. In some cases, this could result in districts dipping into their savings accounts as schools struggle to attract and retain educators in the midst of a teaching shortage.
National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle describes the situation as a “five-alarm crisis,” emphasizing the severity of the national teacher shortage and how little teachers across the country are being paid.
School districts across the country are making efforts to attract and retain educators. In Texas, several major school districts have offered raises by passing budget deficits and dipping into their savings accounts, despite the state legislature failing to pass a bill for teacher raises.
“In real dollars, educators have lost so much ground and we realize that when I ask educators why they are considering leaving the profession, we found 55% are thinking about it,” Pringle said. “They use the r-word, respect, and when I ask them to unpack that, what does that mean, they say that their salaries have not kept up with inflation and they talk about the comparison of teaching to other similarly situated professions.”
The Temple Independent School District plans to give its teachers and staff a 3% raise; however, they’ll likely have to adopt a deficit budget, the Houston Chronicle reported. It also puts the district in a $2.2 million hole, even after the superintendent asked department heads to make budget cuts.
Fort Worth Independent School District set a budget with a $45 million deficit, with raises accounting for more than half of that amount, the Chronicle reported. The publication also reported that Frisco Independent School District approved a $24 million deficit to pay for modest staff raises.
Austin Independent School District approved a 7% raise for its employees and a budget with a $52 million deficit, the Chronicle reports. San Antonio Independent School District is cutting administrative jobs and giving its educators raises between 3% and 9%.
The NEA reports that the national teacher salary for the 2022-2023 school year is more than $68,000, which is a 2.6% increase from the previous year. However, when factoring in inflation, the amount is nearly $4,000 less than the average 10 years ago.
Based on data compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by study.com, the top five states with the highest average teacher salaries are:
- California — $92,960
- New Tork — $91,290
- Washington — $88,530
- Massachusetts —$82,960
- Connecticut — $80,230
Meanwhile, the top five states with the lowest average teacher salaries are:
- South Dakota — $49,190
- Mississippi — $49,770
- West Virginia — $50.770
- North Carolina — $51,570
- Arkansas — $53,080
States including Missouri and Texas are penalizing teachers for breaking their contract and revoking or disciplining their licenses.
Meanwhile, states, including Oklahoma, have created pathways that no longer require a college degree for certain roles. In Arizona, people can teach as long as they’re enrolled in college.
