Oregon teachers earn less than private sector workers with similar levels of education and experience, even when accounting for public employee benefits and summer vacation, according to a report released Tuesday.
The Oregon Center for Public Policy found public school teachers earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by a comparable private sector worker.
When state benefits — such as health insurance and retirement — are factored in, educators still earn 9 percent less in weekly compensation, or 91 cents for every dollar a private sector worker earns.
These numbers are based on average weekly wages instead of annual wages to account for "so-called 'summers off,' " though the report acknowledges many teachers work when school is out.
The center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institute that researches budget, tax and economic issues. It analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Oregon Department of Education and the American Community Survey between 2012 and 2016.
"Oregon teachers deserve a raise," Daniel Hauser, a policy analyst for the center, said in a statement. "Few professions are more vital to the well-being of children and communities than teachers, and yet Oregon is not compensating them adequately."
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One reason for the disparity could be the gender demographics of the profession, according to the report.
In Oregon, seven out of 10 public school teachers are women compared to the four out of 10 private sector workers.
Officials from the center said the pay gap between professions may be a result of female-dominated careers being devalued and inherently paid less.
A national comparison
The gap between public school teachers and private sector workers is mirrored on the national level and has grown more severe in recent decades.
In 1996, the average weekly wages of teachers at the national level were 4 percent less than private sector workers, according to the Oregon report. By 2015, the national gap grew to 19 percent.
And while Oregon's starting salary for teachers isn't far from the national average, it does come up short.
According to the National Education Association, the national average for a starting teaching salary in 2016-17 was $38,617. In the same year, Oregon's starting teachers averaged $35,534.
New Jersey and the District of Columbia have the highest starting salaries at more than $51,000. Montana and Oklahoma have the lowest, starting at $30,036 and $31,919, respectively.
The Oregon report concluded teacher compensation is directly related to schools being able to hire "high-quality" educators and retain them.
Not only does this impact the lives of Oregon's educators, but according to the report, retaining high-quality teachers helps students reach higher levels of academic achievement and, in turn, leads to higher earnings over their lifetimes — "a benefit for them and the overall economy."
It's not just pay
Educators nationwide have been going on strike over the last year to demand adequate pay.
Most recently, teachers from 14 school districts across the state of Washington went on strike this fall over contract disputes stemming from an influx of cash districts had received from the state.
After three weeks of teacher strikes, educators received higher pay raises and students were all back in school as of Monday.
In Oregon, the most recent report by the state's Quality Education Model estimated Oregon is short about $2 billion per biennium of what it needs to maintain and improve schools.
But Mindy Merritt, president of the Salem-Keizer Education Association, told the Statesman Journal she didn't think local members were close to striking over pay.
What Merritt sees most is teachers leaving the district or profession when they don't feel heard or valued — when they feel burned out.
"They feel like they're drowning, fighting on their own," she said. "They know we can do better as a district ... as a community."
In Salem-Keizer Public Schools, the starting teaching salary for someone with a Bachelor's degree is $40,297. That number increases to $46,748 if they have a Master's degree.
Salem-Keizer Public School Superintendent Christy Perry was not available for comment Monday afternoon.
Pay is also affected by hours of professional development and experience to, ideally, help the individual earn more money the more experience they have.
But Merritt said teachers are frequently faced with difficult decisions — are they paid enough to sustain a 30-year career and do they feel valued and heard?
They have to decide if earning a master's to be a more viable candidate will outweigh the cost of increased student loans.
She also said teachers are, in some ways, locked into one district once they start since they may take a pay cut moving to another district later in their careers.
Merritt said Salem-Keizer is making some improvements, such as filling positions to eliminate a teacher shortage that has continued since the Great Recession.
"Are teachers paid enough? Absolutely not. Are support staff paid enough? Absolutely not," she said. "Improving salaries and benefits will help, but that's not everything."
To read the center's full report, or for more information, go to https://www.ocpp.org/ or call 971-279-4732.
Contact reporter Natalie Pate at npate@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6745 or follow her on Twitter @Nataliempate or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist.