Alabama is leading regional and national averages for pay for starting teachers.
According to the Southern Regional Education Board, Alabama’s beginning teacher pay of $36,144 leads the national average for beginning pay ($32,473) and the average for the 16 states the SREB monitors ($33,846).
Alan Richard, an SREB spokesman, said improving teacher pay is one of his organization’s objectives for member states. The SREB covers Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
“Our regional education goals call for every student to be taught by a well-qualified teacher,” Richard said. “Pay and salaries are an incentive to be competitive. Higher average pay for teachers attracts better candidates for education jobs.”
Average beginning pay for teachers in the SREB states topped national averages for the first time in 2007, meaning starting teachers in this region, on average, make more money than their counterparts nationwide.
While Alabama is leading the region in pay for starting teachers, it lags behind other nearby states in average pay for all teachers. Average pay for an Alabama teacher is $46,879, below the regional average of $48,465 and well under the national average of $54,319. Of the four states surrounding Alabama, only Tennessee ($45,549) and Mississippi ($44,498) pay teachers less on average.
While Alabama law sets the minimum entry pay for teachers at $36,144 and also establishes minimums for teachers by years of experience and degree, some systems choose to pay teachers more. The Dothan City Schools formerly had a salary matrix that paid teachers more than the state minimum. The city school board recently pared their matrix back to state minimums for new hires to combat budget shortfalls.
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