More Teacher Salary Comparisons

   We've all read the news releases quoting data and statistics which point to the fact that Oklahoma teacher salaries are close to last in the nation, and soon will be dead last, ranked 51st (among all states and the District of Columbia. Since I support our Oklahoma teachers, I've often quoted these discouraging stats, and encouraged our state lawmakers to "raise teacher pay" and get us off the bottom of the barrel. I average around one blog post or column each week beating the low teacher pay drum, because Oklahoma teachers are not paid enough for what they do. I carefully research the data and statistics on state teacher salaries across the nation, before posting anything as factual - but here's the caveat: I rarely quote data and statistics which does not support my particular viewpoint concerning teacher pay raises. It's because, like most people, I have a biased perspective when it comes to our public schools or teacher salaries. I have a personal perspective as well as a professional perspective when it comes to teacher pay, and it's very difficult to completely shun personal experiences and knowledge concerning teacher pay in Oklahoma - when I have such a connection.
   I grew up during the 1960's, attended a rural Oklahoma School (Lindsay) and lived with my mother, father, brother, and sister... 7 miles from town. I remember my mother "going back to college" in 1965 to obtain her teaching certificate, so she could help feed the kids. My father had become disabled at that time, so could not work. We always had food on the table during those early years, but most of it came in big silver cans (commodity).We also had plenty of milk from our old milk cow, and lots of garden grown vegetables. We (kids) thought we were wealthy beyond belief, and really were, for the things that count. OK, back to teacher pay:
   My mother, the only one in our family holding down a job, received approximately $300 a month for teaching school (kindergarten, 3rd, and 5th grades). She was underpaid, as all Oklahoma teachers were back in the '60's - and Oklahoma was probably ranked near dead last in teacher pay, as it is now. When I began teaching in 1980, my actual take-home pay was $777 per month. I thought at that time that I would become a rich man as I saved $1000 during my first year of teaching. My point is that some things never change, and likely never will. My colleague who writes A View From the Edge,likens the struggle for higher teacher pay in Oklahoma to the orchestra which played Nearer, My God, to Thee as the Titanic sank. We cannot hope to change the situation at hand, only accept it.
   As I said earlier, I usually only quote the data and statistics which support my particular perspective, but as a researcher - I know that's not the appropriate thing to do. To this end, I'll quote some additional data and analyses which support the antithesis: Oklahoma teachers are not underpaid.
Many salary analysts say that factors such as the cost of living in any particular state must be calculated in order to arrive at an accurate teacher pay ranking. Cost of living adjustments utilize such indicators as the overall tax burden in a state to determine the actual take-home pay and purchasing power for teachers. Most teachers in Oklahoma believe they should be paid closer to the regional average (8 states), than at the bottom of the pack. The regional average for a teacher's salary is $48,673, adjusted for purchasing power, while the Oklahoma teachers' average pay is $46,727. Utilizing this pay scale would result in Oklahoma teachers receiving a $1,946 salary adjustment to reach the regional average. This proposed teacher pay raise is a far cry from the $6,000 to $10,000 salary increase that some education groups are calling for. Many analysts believe that the overall tax burden for teachers should also be calculated to determine an appropriate salary increase. A newly released study by WalletHub, a personal finance website, indicates that Oklahoma is ranked 47th in the nation for its overall tax burden. Many experts say Oklahoma teacher salaries, therefore, are ranked as high as 25th in the nation, when considering take-home pay instead of actual salary.
   Teacher salary analyses such as the one above are accurate, but are also part of the data and statistics most often quoted by those against our public schools. Most education experts believe, however, that all accurate data and statistics should be considered - before determining appropriate teacher pay increases in Oklahoma.