Most Qualified' Teachers Rank 23rd in Pay
Wisconsin teachers are the most qualified in the country
but rank 23rd in pay, according to two separate reports just released.
In a study of teacher qualifications, the Associated
Press reported that 98.6% of Wisconsin teachers meet the standards for
being “highly qualified” under the revised Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, often referred to as the No Child Left Behind
law. That is the highest percentage in the nation.
The study was published just days after the National
Education Association released its Rankings of the States, which shows
that Wisconsin teacher pay fell from 21st in the nation in 2001-2002
to 23rd in 2002-2003. That continues a downward trend since implementation
of the Qualified Economic Offer law in Wisconsin in 1993. That law undermines
teachers’ collective bargaining rights.
The average Wisconsin teacher earned $42,775 last
year, a 1.3% increase over the previous year. The national average was
$45,930, a 2.7% increase from 2001-2002.
“Wisconsin teachers are the most qualified in
the nation, and arguably the most effective. Wisconsin students are
first in the nation on many measures of achievement. Yet Wisconsin teachers
earn below the national average, and their ranking continues to decline,”
WEAC President Stan Johnson said.
“This slide in teacher compensation will discourage
people from entering or staying in the teaching profession, endangering
the quality of our great schools. Wisconsin needs laws that allow teachers
and education support professionals to negotiate fair compensation and
that allow communities to fund their public schools adequately.
“Wisconsin teachers deserve far better pay and
far greater respect than they are getting,” Johnson said.
Since the Qualified Economic Offer law was imposed
in 1993, Wisconsin teacher salaries have fallen from 15th to 23rd in
the nation, declining from 103% to 93% of the national average.
The Associated Press study on teacher qualifications
was the result of a Freedom of Information request it made to the federal
government. The newly revised ESEA requires states to report on the
percentage of classes taught by “highly qualified teachers.”
That provision of the law requires that public elementary and secondary
school teachers have full state certification or have passed the state
teacher licensing examination; hold a license to teach in the state;
and not have had a certificate or license requirement waived under emergency,
temporary or provisional conditions.
By the end of the 2005-06 school year, all teachers
must be highly qualified.
In the AP’s review, Alaska had the lowest percentage
of classrooms with highly qualified teachers, at 16%. Alabama was at
35%, and California at 48%. All the other states reporting (11 states
did not report) were above 50%; 20 were above 90%.
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster attributed
Wisconsin’s top ranking to the high standards set for teaching
certification in the state, strong schools of education, and active
professional teaching groups.
In recent years, Wisconsin has been phasing in a new
teacher licensing law known as PI 34. Under that law, teacher preparation
moves from a course and credit orientation to a performance and competency
orientation requiring that teaching skills be developed and demonstrated
throughout the teacher preparation program. To be certified for licensure,
teacher candidates need to demonstrate or exhibit the knowledge, skills,
and dispositions identified in the 10 Wisconsin Teacher Standards.
Posted October 21, 2003