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Teacher salaries disparate among Oregon districts

As teachers walk out across the U.S., is Oregon next?
Credit: maroke

Are you a teacher frustrated by low pay? Email investigators@kgw.com

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon’s teachers struggle with challenging workloads and relatively low salaries. In addition, some school districts pay far lower salaries than other districts to both starting teachers and educators with many years of experience, a KGW analysis found.

None of Oregon’s school districts expect walkouts like the ones happening in Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kentucky, where teachers are demanding higher pay and better working conditions. But Oregon’s teachers face similar plights of low pay and crowded classrooms.

Oregon teachers manage packed classes – the average number of students enrolled per teacher is 20, which is the fifth highest in America, based on a 2017 Portland State University study. The median class size in the state is 25 students, according to a 2016 state education report.

Teachers make, on average, about $60,000 a year based on 2016 data, which is the 13th highest for pay among all states.

But adjusted for cost of living, Oregon’s salaries are actually some of the lowest in the nation, according to the nonprofit EdBuild.

The average starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree was $36,097 in the 2016-17 school year, according to the Oregon School Boards Association. On average, teachers with a bachelor’s degree, extensive experience but no advanced degree, can top out at around $58,000 a year.

In some districts, those numbers are far higher – or lower – than the state average. There is a $10,000 gap between the base pay of the lowest and highest paying school districts. Teachers with bachelor’s degrees and extensive experience can see a $40,000 pay difference depending on which districts they work in.

The pay disparities don’t just pit rural districts against metro populations, although Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro all pay some of the highest starting and max salaries in the state. Pendleton, Canby and Grants Pass also pay high starting salaries, while Lincoln County made the Top 10 for highest max salaries.

Santiam Canyon and Glendale had the lowest paid teachers for both starting salaries and max salaries.

Note: The data is for starting salaries of teachers with bachelor’s degrees, and the maximum pay for teachers with bachelor’s degrees and extensive experience, at Oregon's biggest districts (ADM 3,000+). Salaries of teachers with master’s or doctorate degrees are not included in this analysis. All salaries are for the 2016-17 school year unless otherwise noted.

Teachers with master's degrees start between $38,061 and $47,213, based on the OSBA data, and max out at between $60,507 and $77,408. Explore the data in the report here.

Correction: Hood River's top salary for BA is $49,684.

The numbers previously recorded for Central Point's top salary included teachers who obtained additional credit hours.

Sources: OSBA 2016-17 report and individual district teacher salary schedules.

Starting salary: 10 lowest paying districts

Glendale: $32,952

Santiam Canyon: 33,814

Coos Bay: $34,208

Springfield: $34,413

Roseburg: $34,557

North Wasco County: $35,237

Lebanon Community Schools: $35,240

North Bend: $35,529

Silver Falls: $35,813

Hermiston: $35,868

Starting salary: 10 highest paying districts

David Douglas: $42,513

Oregon City: $42,142

Hillsboro: $42,013

Grants Pass: $41,716

Centennial: $40,943

Portland (*2017-18) $40,762

Reynolds: $40,636

Canby (*2017-18) $39,691

Max salary: 10 lowest paying districts

Santiam Canyon: $43,168

Glendale: $44,299

Eagle Point: $44,900

Medford: $45,588

Hood River County: $49,684

Sherwood: $47,815

North Bend: $48,169

Silver Falls: $48,231

Bethel: $48,381

Roseburg: $49,099

Max salary: 10 highest paying districts

Portland (*2017-18): $82,889

Hillsboro: $82,119

Beaverton: $78,869

Canby (*2017-18) $74,412

Salem-Keizer: $69,889

Lincoln County: $65,428

Corvallis: $61,618

Tigard-Tualatin: $61,063

Lake Oswego: $60,874

David Douglas $60,497

Related: Portland teacher buys safety gear for students in case of gun violence

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