IOWA STATE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
For Release: December 12, 2007
Contact: Lana Oppenheim Schlapkohl, 515-471-8026

Iowa teacher salaries finally edging up in the rankings

Iowa's average teaching salary ranking has moved up one notch to 38th in the nation, according to preliminary data from the National Education Association (NEA).

According to the "Rankings & Estimates: Rankings of the States 2006 and Estimates of School Statistics 2007," Iowa's average teacher salary for 2005-06 actually ranked 39th in the nation instead of 40th as was estimated last year. NEA estimates for the 2006-07 school year show salaries slowly edging up, thanks to the $35 million investment made by the 2006 Iowa Legislature.

The data does not reflect the additional $144 million being pumped into salaries this year and next. That appropriation, which was proposed by Gov. Chet Culver and approved by the 2007 Legislature, is designed to bring teacher salaries up to the national median -- or 25th in the nation.

"This is the first evidence that recent legislative action is indeed paying off," said Linda Nelson, president of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA). "But we can't leave the future to chance. If Iowa wants to continue to be able to compete for top-quality educators, then we need to make the appropriation permanent by rolling it into the school finance formula."

As it now stands, the teacher salary money has been set through the 2008-09 school year. After that, money to maintain teacher salaries must be approved each year. But as Iowa educators have learned the hard way, annual appropriations can be easy targets for the budget axe during economic downturns.

Take, for example, the three-phased Excellence in Education Act of 1987 which was also designed to increase teacher salaries and provide money for professional development . The funding for Phases I and II has never been increased to keep up with inflation so the "buying power" of those dollars has been significantly eroded over the past 20 years. What's more, lawmakers chipped away at the professional development funding included in Phase III and then eliminated it entirely.

The $43,130 that an average Iowa teacher earned last year represents a 4.98 percent increase over the previous year. It is still, however, nearly $7,700 below the national average and significantly less than the salaries paid to teachers in neighboring states like Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

In the latest rankings, Iowa teachers jumped ahead of their colleagues in Idaho and New Mexico while Alabama made a large commitment to teacher salaries and jumped ahead of Iowa. Wyoming teacher salaries jumped a whopping 17.19 percent thanks to an effort to increase the minimum salary to $40,000. Iowa's minimum salary in 2006-07 was $25,500.

The following are some additional facts about educator salaries in Iowa.

• An Iowa teacher earned the 2006-07 average teacher salary of $43,130 at age 42 after teaching for 15 years. (Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Basic Education Data Survey)
• Average Iowa teacher salaries vary widely according to school district size -- from $35,464 in districts with enrollments of fewer than 250 students to $47,222 in districts with enrollments of 7,500 or more students. (Iowa Department of Education, Condition of Education Report 2007)
• The average Iowa teaching salary is about $20,000 below the average salary for other Iowa professionals with similar education requirements and job skills. (ISEA Research; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• While Iowa teaching salaries have increased, they have not kept up with inflation. From 1996 to 2006, teachers have actually lost 1.3 percent in purchasing power after inflation. (NEA, Rankings and Estimates, November 2007)
• Salaries of school principals and superintendents have increased at significantly higher rates than teacher salaries. Since 1985-86, superintendent salaries have increased 150.6 percent, to $102,008; and principal salaries increased by 120.3 percent, to $77,813; while teacher salaries increased 103.1 percent, to $44,062 when all extra duty and supplemental pay is factored in. (Iowa Department of Education, Condition of Education Report 2007)

Click here to download the complete state-by-state rankings.

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up more than 32,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic!