Last night, teacher union executives called for extending their ongoing one-day strike actions to close more schools, expanding to the districts of Seattle, Snohomish, Lake Stevens and Franklin Pierce. Currently union executives are using strikes to close schools to 257,000 children, for the time being denying access to public education to one in four Washington students. Teachers union executives say they are using school closures as part of their effort to lobby state lawmakers for more in pay and benefits and for other spending increases.

Of course any demand for increased public spending on pay and benefits can only be understood in light of what teachers make now, and whether the level of total compensation is reasonable based on the needs of students and the education system’s ten-month work year.

I calculated the average pay and benefits teachers receive in the 29 districts targeted by strikes based on reports from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Teachers in the 29 districts receive average compensation of just under $88,000, including benefits, for the ten-month school year.  This amount is higher than the statewide average of teacher compensation of $83,000 in pay and benefits. The amount is also about $30,000 higher than the average statewide income for working people, most of it earned over a 12-month work year.

Details on the school districts affected by strikes are here.  The primary source is, “Table 19, Certificated Teacher – Duty Roots, 31, 32, 33, 2014-15 School District Personnel Summary Profiles,” School Apportionment and Financial Services, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, at https://www.k12.wa.us/safs/PUB/PER/1415/ps.asp.