MIAMI.- Florida is the state with the lowest salary for teachers in the United States, according to a report published by the National Education Association (NEA).
According to the ranking, which analyzed all states in the country and Washington DC, Florida ranks 50th with an average teacher salary of $53,098 annually. The salary deterioration is evident in the Sunshine State, last year it was ranked 48th.
West Virginia is in last place.
In 49th place among the states with the worst pay for teachers is South Dakota, with a salary of $53,153 annually, followed by Mississippi in 48th with $53,354 and Missouri in 47th with $53,999.
The study used data provided by school districts to evaluate the average salary and starting compensation of teachers in all states and compared them to what is considered a living wage in each state, which was weighted by the number of teachers in each entity.
When it comes to the average starting salary for teachers, Florida ranks 16th with a salary of $47,178 per year.
The analysis shows that both starting compensation and the average salary of teachers are below the living wage in Florida, which is $58,970 per year.
The states with the highest teacher salaries
- California: $95,160
- New York: $92,696
- Massachusetts: $92,307
- Washington State: $86,804
- Washington DC: $84,882
Efforts without achievements
Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to improve teacher pay, Florida remains near the bottom of the list. DeSantis and the state legislature passed a law to raise the minimum base salary for teachers to $47,500 a year, to benefit more than a dozen school districts in the Florida entity.
Additionally, increases were approved in the amount of money given to schools based on the number of students attending. At $12,488 annually per student, Florida’s per-student allocation ranks 42nd in the country, according to the report.
They highlighted that for the 2022-2023 school year, the ratio of enrolled students per teacher was already higher than the national average at 20.7 students per teacher in Florida, but estimates show that student enrollment in Florida public schools will continue to increase.
The Florida Education Association has asked lawmakers to increase funding by $2.5 billion a year over the next 7 years to address inadequate salaries, hire more mental health specialists, and address students’ academic needs.
Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar noted that “once again, despite a thriving economy, Florida fails to prioritize the needs of students by failing to fairly compensate teachers and staff.”
“It is unacceptable that Florida is so close to last in the nation in teacher salaries and that the teacher shortage crisis is still not being addressed,” he added.
The NEA report also shows that 77% of school districts still pay a starting salary of less than $50,000, while nearly 38% of all full-time K-12 educational support professionals earn less than $25,000 annually. However, nationally, the report shows that teachers earn 26% more, on average, in states with collective bargaining.
@Lydr05
Source: With information from the National Education Association
