Teachers are a part of our society that are the windows to educating our youth. The salary range for teachers in the U.S. is different depending on the state the school districts are in.
Here are the top five lowest and highest paying school districts in America as of 2011:
The Five Highest Paying States for Teachers
Starting from lowest to highest, here are the five states that have the highest salaries:
1. Connecticut
The teacher’s salaries in Connecticut get paid an average salary of $65,571, making them the 5th highest in the U.S. The governor of the state put forth a budget that maintained the spending amounts for education in the state for elementary through high school in 2011.
2. New Jersey
The teacher’s salaries for New Jersey were an average of $66,985 a year in 2011, ranking 4th. The teacher’s union in the state is still at odds with the governor, saying that he is out to cut their paychecks, even though the recent budget called for $250 million in additional funding for education.
3. California
The average teacher’s annual salary for California in 2011 was $69,434. The state is having financial troubles in recent years and many public school educators are losing their jobs despite this high rate of pay. This ranks it 3rd in the U.S.
4. Massachusetts
The average teacher’s yearly salary in Massachusetts is $71,017, ranking it 2nd in the U.S. for the amount of pay. In 2010, the four year graduation rates went up in the public school system. However, public schools in Boston are having issues with finances so are considering cutting 250 positions.
5. New York
New York is rated number one for teacher salaries, which in 2011 averaged $72,708 a year. However, in recent years the city has been investigating a situation in which some of the city’s schools were manipulating their school test scores. Fourth graders and 8th graders in the state have been scoring below average, despite this high pay for the teachers there and the governor wants to get a law in place that allows teachers to be fired based on merit.
Worst Paid Teacher States
Here is a listing of the states that have the worst paying teacher salaries as of 2011:
1. Florida
The 5th lowest paying state for teachers in 2011 was Florida at an average salary per year of $46,702. Sadly, due to financial issues Florida schools have cut more than 12,000 jobs in the past three years.
2. Utah
The 4th lowest paying state for teachers in 2011 was Utah with an annual salary of $46,571. In this state the lawmakers were said to be considering a bill to keep school districts from using a layoff system of the last hired would be the first fired.
3. Missouri
The 3rd lowest paying state for teachers in 2011 was Missouri with an annual salary of $46,411. As with most states, costs continue to rise and layoffs are looming in the possible future.
4. North Dakota
The 2nd lowest paying state for teachers in 2011 was North Dakota with an annual salary of $44,266. Lawmakers here are proposing an overhaul of the education system to develop a new Department of Education by 2015.
5. South Dakota
The state that paid the worst in 2011 was neighboring state South Dakota with an annual salary of $35,201. Even so, the state has proposed ten percent cut in the spending for education, which the education association there says would call devastation.
