Bogus Study Debunked: Hawaii Teacher Salaries Above Average

Star-Adv Oct 17, 2018:  …A widely cited study issued last month by WalletHub erroneously stated that Hawaii public school teachers make a starting salary of only $24,409 when adjusted for cost of living, supposedly lowest in the nation.

In reality, Hawaii teachers make starting salaries that are $35,140 when adjusted for the cost of living, which is above the national average.

In response to a request for information from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, WalletHub said it assumed a cost-of-living index for Hawaii of 188.3….A more accurate way to calculate the cost of living is to use a statewide cost-of-living index. For example, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) pegged the cost of living index for all of Hawaii at 130.8….

the numbers imply a goal of attempting to bring teacher salaries in line with the prospect of buying a $1 million home…

According to the National Education Association (NEA), and adjusting for the cost of living using the BEA index, the starting salary for Hawaii public school teachers in fiscal 2017 was $35,140, which was higher than the national average at $34,853.

Calculating teacher pay in fiscal 2017 without adjusting for the cost of living, licensed Hawaii public school teachers who worked 10 months a year had a starting salary of $45,963, the third-highest in the nation, behind only New Jersey at $51,179 and Alaska at $46,785, according to the NEA.

The average unadjusted salary for all Hawaii public school teachers in fiscal 2017 was $57,674, almost $10,000 more than the average private sector salary in the islands of $48,055 and higher than most other Hawaii state government workers, who averaged $37,561 in fiscal 2017.

This year, in fiscal 2019, the unadjusted starting salary for licensed 10-month public school teachers in Hawaii rose to $48,428, according to their union contract, and to $49,100 for teachers who worked an extra 21 hours….

read … WalletHub misrepresents Hawaii public teachers’ salaries

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2018’s Best & Worst States for Teachers

Wallet Hub, Sep 24, 2018

Teaching can be a profoundly rewarding career, considering the critical role educators play in shaping young minds. But many teachers find themselves overworked and underpaid. Education jobs are among the lowest-paying occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree, and teacher salaries consistently fail to keep up with inflation. Meanwhile, the Every Student Succeeds Act demands growth in student performance.

This combination of job pressures, low pay and lack of mobility forces many teachers to quit soon after they start. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about a fifth of all public-school teachers leave their positions before the end of their first year. Nearly half last fewer than five. Many teachers, especially novices, transfer to other schools or abandon the profession altogether “as the result of feeling overwhelmed, ineffective, and unsupported,” according to ASCD, a nonprofit focused on improving the education community.

In some states, however, teachers are more fairly paid and treated than in others. Those states are less likely to face a revolving door of teacher turnover. To help America’s educators find the best opportunities and teaching environments, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 22 key indicators of teacher-friendliness. Their data set ranges from teachers’ income growth potential to pupil-teacher ratio to teacher safety….

read … Full Report