Some districts, like Indian River in southeastern Sussex County and Christina, at schools in the City of Wilmington, pay their entry-level teachers more - at close to $46,000. The average entry-level teacher with a bachelor’s degree will earn $41,000 in the state in their first year, according to Henry. But Delaware's salaries are not competitive with other surrounding states." - Shelley Rouser, chairperson of DSU's education department. "I can't say that the end-all, be-all for students. For example, the average teacher salary in 2019 was $68,046 in Cape Henlopen, $56,600 in Caesar Rodney and $58,506 in Smyrna. While those districts differed by nearly $19,000, others in Delaware fell somewhere in the middle. Woodbridge, in western Sussex County, has remained among the districts with the lowest average salary, at $55,868, in the same year. Over the last five years, Brandywine, in northern New Castle County, has remained among the public school districts with the top average educator salary. In 2019, the average teacher in Delaware earned approximately $64,910, according to data released by the state in mid-2019 that provides figures from 2015 to 2020. While salary may not be top of mind for all educators, it’s still part of the puzzle, and it’s a factor in whether professionals choose Delaware. “We’re working actively to increase that,” she said. Rouser said the effort to train more teachers is needed. Approximately 300 students are currently enrolled, Rouser said, “which is a good trend when you consider the fact a lot of states are seeing a decrease with the number of teachers.” In contrast, DSU has seen about a 20 percent growth since 2015 in its educational department. But the department is seeing a decline in interest, he said. UD certifies about 227 teachers on average each year, Henry said, citing data the department has collected for three years. “Many have motivations grounded in social justice that lead them to choose teaching.”įor two of the state’s largest universities, making sure potential teachers find their way into classrooms is front of mind, as interest in teaching seems to be waning. “It could be because of their own experience in school not being the ideal experience, being committed to creating a different kind of culture, creating different opportunities for children,” she said. Rouser agreed, noting that the traditional motivations for teaching are changing. Ingram reflects a trend noticed by Shelley Rouser, chairperson of the education department at Delaware State University, and Gary Henry, dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. They want to work with communities where they can make a difference." - Gary Henry, dean of UD's College of Education and Human Development. "Many more teachers these days are mission driven. “And then, of course, you want to think about my salary and my benefits and things like that, but I think it's a larger picture, not just money, money,” she said. In fact, Ingram lists numerous factors above salary: deciding where you want to live, where to raise a family, where your kids will go to school - and the students you want to serve. “You think about what your passion is and where you can help students the most.” “We all know that no one gets paid big bucks being an educator,” she said. When she decided to pursue teaching in Delaware, it wasn’t about the money for Stephanie Ingram, president of the Delaware State Education Association. When it comes to salary – is it good to be a teacher in the First State? And can Delaware school districts find enough good teachers at a time when interest in entering the profession appears to be waning?ĭelaware Public Media’s Sophia Schmidt and Brooke Schultz of the Delaware State News dig into these questions in the first story collaboration between our two organizations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |