Teacher Salaries and Cost of Living

What does it cost to be a teacher?  When you are a college student working on the first degree and teacher certification you look at the salaries you think you will make upon graduation.  The research presented in Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters More it shows that the average wage for elementary teachers in the United States is $45,670.  WOW!  I don’t make that.  The next statement in this article clarifies by saying average salaries range from $59,514 in New York City to $32,209 in Oklahoma City.  By looking at these figures, one would think working in NYC would be the way to go.   However, these figures do not show the cost of living in these areas.  (https://elearn.mtsu.edu)    

Some school districts even go so far as to pay higher salaries for the first 5 – 10 years as a way to attract new teachers and retain them.  Other districts that are in desperate need of teachers will offer incentives such as help with relocation, help buying a home, or a signing bonus.  (http://www.teacherportal.com)  Do the teachers’ salaries decrease after the first 5 – 10 years?  If so, do these teachers decide to move on to a better position with a good salary?

When comparing salaries, the cost of living is a major issue to think about.  There are 12 states with the cost of living that is higher than the U.S. National average.  The state of New York has the highest at 15.24%.  The state of Indiana has the lowest at 10.04%. (http://www.cityrating.com) I bet the salaries of teachers reflect this.

Something I see in my district is that the cost of living really makes a difference in our salaries.  I teach in a small rural, poor county.  While the salaries we make as teachers are not great, the cost of living is not great either. It does feel sometimes that the cost of living is increasing in our area, but teachers’ salaries are not.  The cost of living affects the teacher in more ways than just the salary they make.  If gas costs more, getting to school takes a big chunk.  Then if food costs rise, this affects us also.  These things hurt teachers just as they do everyone else.  The big kicker is classroom supplies.  Usually there is classroom money to spend, but when the cost of living in an area is high, the classroom money does not go as far, so teachers fill in with money out of their own pocket.  When is the last time a nurse, or other profession, had to pay for the supplies needed to do their job or for their patients  to use?  Teachers are constantly buying supplies to help them teach, but they spend a great deal on essential supplies the students require, such as pencils and paper.   I feel that if teachers did not have to spend so much of their own salary on buying essential supplies for their classrooms, it would feel like they were making so much more.  The salaries are based on the cost of living, but if the cost of living rises, do the teacher’s salaries always make the same jump?

References:

https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133317

http://www.teacherportal.com/salary

http://www.cityrating.com/costofliving.asp