New figures for average state teacher salaries were recently released. While the state ranked 29th overall – up one spot from 28th since the 2006-2007 rankings – Polk lags behind Florida’s salary average by about $2,500.
The national average was $52,308. The average teacher salary in Florida in 2007-08 was $46,930, putting it at No. 29 nationally, and behind Georgia ($51,560), North Carolina ($47,354), Kentucky ($47,207) and Louisiana ($46,964) in the South.
News of future cuts is circulating around the state, and Polk County will see its share of cutbacks, as recently reported in a Lakeland Ledger news story about the Harrison Performing Arts Center facing budget cuts for the 2009-2010 school year.
I hope you found this post useful! As always, if you or anyone you know is in need of a local Florida mortgage broker, I’m your guy. Call me at 863-604-3019 or apply online for your Florida mortgage. We’ll keep you posted and let you know when it’s time to pull the trigger!
Related posts:
- Florida Mortgage News – The Week Ahead: March 16, 2009 While the stock market rallied - posting its biggest gains...
I don’t believe teacher salaries have much to do with education, except to make teachers feel like they are not getting paid enough. Teachers know what the salary is before stepping into a classroom. If a teacher does not like the money, and it’s a top priority, they should consider another career.
Hey Stephen – and thanks for your comment. Are you a teacher yourself?
I agree that teachers going into the profession today should take the salary into account when determining whether it’s really something that they want to do. It’s no secret that many teachers today hold down multiple jobs in order to make ends meet.
This said, let’s take a look at things from a “services rendered” standpoint. If you look at things in a “you get what you pay for” sort of light, the argument for increased teacher pay becomes a bit clearer. Add to this the fact that educating our children – our future leaders and service providers – is one of the most important tasks ever – and the increased pay argument is supported even more.
Teachers today are not just delivering curriculum. They’re counseling, providing character guidance, and more. So much of what parents should or have traditionally provided children is being placed on the teacher’s docket to deliver. I just think it’s time that we start to pay these Highly Qualified Professions a wage that is commensurate with the services they provide.
Latest data from the Department of Education in Florida shows that average public school teachers in this state earned about $47.000 each year in 2008
Because all Florida school district adopt their own salary schedule right after a string of collective bargaining works, Florida teachers can find that their school district where they work, and also their experience level, may affect their pay dramatically.
It is quite good to hear that Florida Teacher Salaries is on an average of $2500. But, I think they should be provided some more as because they are doing the best job by educating the students.