IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
For Release: December 15, 2006
Contact: Lana Oppenheim Schlapkohl, 515-471-8026

Teacher salaries still among the lowest in the nation

Revised figures show last year’s ranking was worse than originally thought

Newly revised data from the National Education Association (NEA) reveals that the average Iowa teacher salary ranking for 2004-05 was lower than originally thought, but the same data also shows that the downward spiral may be ending.

According to the “Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2005 and Estimates of School Statistics 2006 ,” Iowa’s average teacher salary actually ranked 42nd in the nation instead of 41st as estimated last year. Preliminary figures for the 2005-06 school year, however, show that teacher salaries have moved up two notches to 40th in the nation. The $40,877 that an average Iowa teacher earned last year is still more than $8,200 less than the national average and significantly less than the salaries paid to teachers in neighboring states like Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

“Besides parents, no one has a greater impact on our children than their teachers,” said Linda Nelson, president of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA). “Yet our teachers can cross the Mississippi River and earn nearly $17,000 a year more in Illinois than they do here.”

Nelson added that while Iowa has taken a great first step toward making teaching salaries competitive, “We clearly need to do more if we are going to be able to attract or keep the type of caring and hard-working teachers who have made our public schools so great.”

Nelson credited the roughly $20 million salary appropriation approved in 2005 and lower-than-expected health insurance premium costs for the slight boost in the salary rankings for the 2005-06 school year. The $35 million earmarked for salary increases by the 2006 Iowa Legislature is not reflected in the latest salary figure.

The three-year, $210 million plan approved by the Legislature last year translates into an average increase of about $900 per teacher each year. According to ISEA Research, however, it would take an additional investment of about $1,500 per Iowa teacher over the next three years to bring salaries up to 25th in the nation. That’s still below the national average, but it would make a significant difference in Iowa’s ability to recruit and retain top-quality teachers, Nelson explained.

The following are some additional facts about educator salaries in Iowa.

• An Iowa teacher earns the average teacher salary of $40,877 at age 42 after teaching for 15 years. (Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Basic Education Data Survey)

• Average Iowa teacher salaries vary widely according to school district size -- from $33,797 in districts with enrollments of fewer than 250 students to $45,508 in districts with enrollments of 7,500 or more students. (Iowa Department of Education, Condition of Education Report 2006)

• The average Iowa teaching salary is about $20,000 below the average salary for other Iowa professionals with similar education requirements and job skills. (ISEA Research; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

• While Iowa teaching salaries have increased, they have not kept up with inflation. From 1970 to 2004, teachers have actually lost 2 percent in purchasing power after inflation. (ISEA Research)

• Salaries of school principals and superintendents have increased at significantly higher rates than teacher salaries. Since 1985-86, superintendent salaries increased 141.3 percent, to $98,213 and principal salaries increased about 111.4 percent, to $74,666 while teacher salaries increased 93.6 percent, to $41,996 when all extra duty and supplemental pay is factored in. (Iowa Department of Education, Condition of Education Report 2006)

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up of nearly 32,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic!