Over 16-year span, Wisconsin teacher salaries lag private sector wages

[n2doc]

New research by a University of Illinois expert in employment relations and labor economics shows that, for more than a decade, Wisconsin teacher salaries have fallen behind changes in the cost of living as well as wage growth in the private sector.

Craig A. Olson, a professor of labor and employment relations, says the salaries of Wisconsin teachers have lost ground to those of their private sector counterparts over the last 16 years.

The paper compares the earnings of an average college graduate employed in the private sector in the U.S. versus the earnings of an average college-educated teacher in Wisconsin through public data from 1995 to the present.

Olson's analysis shows that, after accounting for inflation, the average private sector college graduate saw weekly earnings increase by 10 percent from 1995 to 2009. By contrast, the average teacher in Wisconsin saw salary decline by 10 percent, not counting fringe benefits.

"Not only did Wisconsin teachers not keep up with inflation, their earning power also fell behind their private-sector counterparts," Olson said.

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http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-year-span-wisconsin-teacher-salaries.html

buh buh buh they're Overpaid! Faux told me so!

[Hangingon]

1. Apples and oranges

People leave teaching because other fileds pay better. Compare public and private teachers.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. That's an even more graphic example of apples and oranges

Private schools have much lower expenses, beginning with no transportation budget. And they kick kids out who don't meet their standards. So you can't compare test scores either.

[Hangingon]

3. I thought we were only comparing salaries in this thread..

Comparison of public vs. private is another matter. Them knee jerks can be dangerous. You might pull a muscle.

[goddess40]

4. private school teachers don't even need a degree

much less a teaching license. The schools cherry pick their students. Parochial school teachers know they will have poor wages because they teach to support their religion, or it's their first job and they plan on getting out.

To compare private to public you have to compare educational requirements and responsibilities.

[Hangingon]

5. Okay lets compare private school teachers with degrees

and credentials. From local experience, private school teachers still make less. I don;t see why motivation enters into it. Their motivations are as varied as the individuals involved and unmeasurable. If they were motivated to make more they would enter another field. Pay rates are measurable.