Teacher pay falls behind inflation |
A new report from the National Education Association finds that while U.S. public school teacher salaries rose 3.5% to an average of $74,495 in the latest school year, inflation has more than offset those gains, leaving real earnings nearly 5% lower than in 2017. The data shows wide regional disparities, with top salaries in California, New York, and Washington, and the lowest in Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana, though figures do not account for cost-of-living differences. Starting salaries increased 3.4% year over year, but real growth remained below 1%, highlighting continued pressure on early-career teachers. Support staff, including custodians and bus drivers, earned an average of $36,360, but have also seen inflation-adjusted pay decline over time. The report notes that states with collective bargaining laws tend to offer higher salaries, though it stops short of establishing causation. Separately, public school enrollment continues to decline, falling 0.3% year over year and about 3.6% since 2016, with further drops projected. The student-to-teacher ratio held steady at 15.1, though it varies significantly by state. Funding data underscores that federal contributions remain relatively small, accounting for roughly 7–8% of school revenue, with most funding coming from state (47%) and local (45%) sources, as pandemic-era federal support continues to wind down.
