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Teacher pay rises, but not at pace with private sector

Matt York/AP

Westwood High School English students work in Jeff Hall's class, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022 in Mesa, Ariz. Like many school districts across the country, Mesa has a teacher shortage due in part due to low morale and declining interest in the profession. Five years ago, Mesa allowed Westwood to pilot a program to make it easier for the district to fill staffing gaps, grant educators greater agency over their work and make teaching a more attractive career. The model, known as team teaching, allows teachers to combine classes and grades rotating between big group instruction, one-on-one interventions, small study groups or whatever the team agrees is a priority each day. (AP Photo/Matt York)

By: Garrett Archer

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PHOENIX — Teacher pay in Arizona is on the rise, but, at least in the Valley, it’s not quite keeping pace with overall salary growth in the private sector.

According to a report released by the Arizona Auditor General, there are 50,056 teachers employed by district schools in the state serving over 860,000 students. The average salary last school year was $58,366 — a 21% increase in five years.

The average is not evenly distributed across all counties.

Five of Arizona’s 15 counties pay teachers above the state average. Graham County teachers average the highest with an annual average salary of $60,571. Teachers in Maricopa County are paid slightly higher compared to the state overall, but the state’s other urban county, Pima, has an average teacher pay $5,000 under the state average.

In the Valley of the Sun, the average teacher salary has risen about $10,000 since 2017, which is a 21% rise. While good news, data from the labor department shows private sector salary growth in the county has increased 24% in a four-year time span. The average private sector job in the county was $52,377 in 2017 and rose to $64,977 by 2021, the latest data available.

ABC15 analyzed the largest school districts in Maricopa County, those employing over 100 teachers. In these districts, there were a total of 31,060 teachers with one in five of them being considered new with three years or less experience in the job. The average teacher salary for large districts was $58,876. Most teachers are expected to take on anywhere from 17 to 18 students. The average teacher has 10.8 years of experience.

Top average teacher pay was found in some of the county’s largest high school districts. Glendale Union High School District topped the list with an average salary of $71,507. This was followed by Tolleson Union HSD at $70,191 and Phoenix Union HSD with teachers making about $69,911.

To see all salary averages for all of Arizona’s school districts, check out the table below.

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Teacher pay rises, but not at pace with private sector

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