A new report on teacher salaries shows Abilene educators are among the lowest paid in the state. The statistics appear in the 2008–09 Salaries and Benefits in Texas Public Schools Teacher Report recently released by the Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators. The group found:
ESC Region XIV (Abilene) has the lowest weighted average salary at $39,829 and is the only region with an average salary below $40,000. Less than 1 percent (0.9) of teachers in the sample work in Region XIV districts.The figure of $39,000 is far below the state average. The study found the average teacher salary was around $47,000. That's up 2.4 percent from the 2007–08 average salary of $46,178.
Additionally, the research found San Antonio has the highest weighted average salary for 2008–09 at $50,028 and is the only region with an average salary above $50,000.
According to the study, average pay increases dropped for all employee groups, including teachers, for the second straight year. While the average teacher salary increased 2.4 percent, school districts spent an average of 3.1 percent on pay increases for returning teachers this year, down from 3.5 percent last year and 8.6 percent in 2006–07. Seventeen districts did not provide a raise for teachers for this year.
Administrators received the lowest average pay increase at 3.0 percent, according to the research. Professional support staff (excludes teachers) saw an average increase of 3.2 percent. Clerical/paraprofessional and auxiliary personnel saw the largest average increases at 3.4 and 3.5 percent, respectively. Eleven percent of respondents did not increase salaries of at least one employee group for 2008–09.
The average starting salary for a new teacher is $34,252, a 3.3 percent increase from the 2007–08 average of $33,151.
Related Links:
