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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 1998

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The combination of teacher salaries that are losing ground to inflation, rising student enrollments, and impending teacher retirements is adding up to a "triple whammy" for America's public schools as they seek qualified newcomers to teach the nation's children.

According to a report released today by the National Education Association (NEA), the average teacher salary in America actually declined from the previous year by nearly half a percentage point in 1996-97 when adjusted for inflation. The result: recruiting and retaining quality teachers will be more difficult than ever before, according to the NEA.

NEA's Rankings of the States, 1997 reports the average teacher earned $38,611 in 1996-97, an increase of 2.4% over 1995-96. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.8% during the same time period, meaning the average salary declined by 0.4%, adjusted for inflation. (The 1996-97 school year was also the sixth consecutive year in which increases averaged below 3%.)

One contributing factor, NEA researchers point out, is that younger teachers -- who start at much lower salary levels -- have begun replacing the first wave of retirees, which has the effect of reducing the average salary to some degree. Still, teachers as a profession lost ground to all other workers in the nation, whose salaries rose by nearly a full percentage point after inflation last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"This is not the time for teacher salaries to be falling behind," said NEA President Bob Chase. "If anything, they must be made more competitive than ever before, to ensure that education attracts its share of the best and the brightest college graduates in the next several years."

Chase called the salary data a "disturbing development," since the U.S. Department of Education predicts a million new teachers need to be hired over the next seven years to meet rising enrollments and to replace the large number of teachers who will be retiring. "We'll need significant numbers of skilled, well-trained candidates to fill these vacancies," Chase said. "We'd better be offering competitive salaries if we expect to hire top-quality individuals."

"As important as teacher salaries are, there are other factors that can also help make teaching a more attractive profession," Chase added. "Smaller class sizes, safe schools and disciplined students, and high standards for the profession will also help attract and retain excellent teachers."

Rankings shows that the average teacher salary ranged from as high as $50,647 in Alaska and $50,426 in Connecticut, to as low as $26,764 in South Dakota and $27,711 in North Dakota.

Over the 10-year period from 1986-87 to 1996-97, in constant inflation-adjusted dollars, average salaries for public school teachers have increased 3.5%. Connecticut (24.3%) has seen the largest real increase in salaries during that time, while 18 states and the District of Columbia saw real declines in average teacher salaries during the period, when adjusted for inflation. Most severely affected were teacher salaries in Wyoming (-19.6%), New Mexico (-11.8%), Alaska (-9.3%), Arizona (-8.5%), Montana (-8.1%), North Dakota (-7.3%), North Carolina (-6.7%), Colorado (-5.7%), Texas (-5.5%), and the District of Columbia (-5.1%).

The largest one-year gains in average teacher salaries for 1996-97 were in Oklahoma (6.9%), Louisiana (5.8%), and Georgia (4.7%).

Rankings of the States, published each year since the 1960s by NEA Research, contains rank-ordered statistics for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report includes dozens of charts that researchers and education writers rely on throughout the year. In addition to data about teacher salaries, the report includes information on average per pupil expenditures, percent of school costs borne by each level of government, per capita income, population, pupil-teacher ratios, and other factors affecting school resources and quality.

Other highlights of the Rankings report:

• Male teachers in the minority: The percentage of male teachers in the U.S. public schools continues to decline. The 1996-97 percentage of males dropped slightly from the previous year -- from 26.6% to 26.5%. States with the highest percentages of male teachers are Michigan (39.3%), Massachusetts (37.9%), Oregon (34.1%), Wyoming (33.7%), Montana (33.4%), Pennsylvania (33.2%), Minnesota (33.2%), Kansas (32.6%), Washington (32.5%), Alaska (32.2%), and Wisconsin (32.0%). States with the lowest percentages of male faculty: South Carolina (16.8%), Georgia (17.5%), Mississippi (17.6%), Louisiana (18.3%), Virginia (18.3%), North Carolina (18.4%), and Alabama (19.2%).

• Enrollment continues to increase: Public school enrollment reached 45,351,937 in fall 1996-97, an increase of 1.6% over fall 1995-96. The largest percentage enrollment increases were in Nevada (6.4%), Arizona (3.6%), and Florida (3.0%). Six states experienced declines in enrollment in the fall of 1996: Wyoming (-1.1%), West Virginia (-1.0%), South Dakota (-0.9%), North Dakota (-0.6%), Montana and Kentucky (both -0.5%). West Virginia experienced an enrollment decline for the 20th consecutive year.

• Per-pupil expenditure rises slightly: The U.S. average current expenditure for elementary and secondary school per pupil in fall enrollment for 1996-97 was $5,889, up $237 over the 1995-96 level of $5,652. New Jersey ($9,455) had the highest per pupil expenditure, while Utah ($3,837) had the lowest.

• Education's share of economic growth declines: The economy grew much faster than revenues for K-12 education between 1994 and 1995. Personal income per enrolled pupil increased 7.2%, while education revenue per enrolled student increased by only 3.3%.

• States gradually assuming a larger share of education funding: School funding continues to become more state-oriented. Between school years 1995-96 and 1996-97, the local share of K-12 public education revenue fell from 45.1% to 44.5%, and the state share increased from 48.1% to 48.7%. The federal share increased slightly, from 6.7% to 6.8%.

Copies of Rankings of the States, 1997 may be ordered from the NEA Professional Library, P.O. Box 2035, Annapolis Junction, MD, telephone (800) 229-4200. The cost is $18.95.

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.

NOTE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS: If you would like a copy of Rankings of the States, 1997, please call NEA Communications at (202) 822-7200 and one will be sent to you.

Average Salaries of Public School
Teachers, 1996-97

NEA Rankings of the States, 1997