A new report shows teacher pay in Virginia is further away from the national average.
The National Education Association unveiled four national reports on educator pay and school funding.
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The average teacher salary in the Commonwealth is more than $58,000, putting us 18th in the nation.
While the starting salary is more than $42,000 at 25th in the country.
To put that in perspective, the NEA says for 2020-2021, the average salary for public school teachers was $65,293, an increase of 1.8% over 2019-2020. Adjusting for inflation, the average teacher salary declined by 3.9% over the past decade.
Experts say the teacher shortage crisis, declining morale and underfunded schools are pushing educators to the brink.
“These rankings reinforce what we have been saying all along: Virginia’s teachers deserve a raise,” said the President of the Virginia Education Association, Dr. James J. Fedderman. “Virginia’s average teacher pay fell further behind the national average last year and came in far below projections for 2020-2021. And while our support staff wages in Virginia are in line with the national average, in a high cost of living state like Virginia that means it is harder for our support professionals to make ends meet.”
The good news is that collective bargaining helps educators earn higher wages.
Starting salaries rose by an average of 1.6% in states with a collective bargaining law.
The report also states that per-student spending in Virginia is $14,003 (22nd in the nation) and the average higher ed faculty salary is $96,331 (#14).
To view the NEA reports, click here. This website also features an interactive map that shows where states rank on educator pay and student funding.