Union executives want to use strikes to close schools, but aren’t teachers receiving “fair” pay and benefits already?
Key Findings
- Teachers in Washington state are paid on average $65 an hour, including benefits.
- The workers who pay their salaries are paid on average $38 an hour, including benefits.
- The current compensation system for teachers is not fair to teachers or students.
- Washington Policy Center recommends discarding the rigid wage ladder, and doubling the pay of the best teachers.
- Teacher pay is limited by the current school district system, which hires on average one non-teacher for every teacher.
Introduction – powerful WEA union to call strikes
Executives at the WEA teachers union have announced teacher strikes in the coming school year.
They plan to close schools to put pressure on taxpayers for programs that benefit the union.
Union executives are claiming the levels of pay and benefits that taxpayers provide to teachers in Washington state are unfair and should be higher.
To inform the public about how much teachers are paid now, this Policy Note presents an overview of current teacher pay and benefits from tables published by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Also available online are current salaries of every teacher in Washington state, by school district and by name.
District-specific information on the issues raised in this Policy Note are available for the following school districts:
