Teacher salaries are a controversial issue in budget making and contract negotiations, in many school districts. Some people feel as though the pay teachers receive is appropriate; others feel as though it is too low.
“I believe that teachers and principals are paid what they deserve, based on their education level. Surely everyone would all love more money, but because of the union contract, which they vote on, has to be fair to both sides. Teachers get paid for 180 days, while everyone else gets paid for 260,” said Geralyn “Geri” Hammer the Director of Employee Services for the Peoria School District 150.
A former education student believes that teachers should earn more.
“I feel that the responsibilities that teachers hold for educating the youth are not equivalent to the pay. They say parents are your first teachers, but actually teachers spend more time out of the day with your child than you do. They’re with your child to witness the growth and maturity that child has on a daily basis,” said Ashley Austin, a Bradley University student majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences.
On average, a public school teacher in Peoria makes $46,689 and public school principals make $85,796, according to 2014 statistics from www.salary.com.
However, between 2009 and 2011, the salaries of Peoria School District 150 principals fluctuated. During this time period, principals’ salaries ranged from about $64,000 to $130,000. According to the annual salary database provided by the district, there were 16 principals who worked both school years. Ten of those 16 principals did not have an increase or decrease in their salary between either of the school years. Four principals did have a salary increase, ranging from 6 percent to 11 percent. Two principals had a salary decrease, ranging from 28 percent to 4 percent.
There has been such a large gap between the salaries of teachers over the years; that gap is about $66,000 wide. Of the returning teachers from the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years the lowest a teacher got paid was $63,578.75; while the highest amount a teacher got paid was $139,091.10. In the past, a teacher’s salary was not determined by her ability to successfully teach her students, but by her tenure and their personal education level.
In total, for the 2009-2010 school year the 16 principals made $1,479,499.01, and for the 2010-2011 school year, they made $1,470,933.09. That is a 3 percent decrease, an $8,565.92 shortage.
“I decided to leave the education field early in my senior year here at Bradley because, although teaching is a great profession, I disagree with the pay and wish it was increased to better support teachers,” added Austin.