Oklahoma ranks 6th in teacher pay increases in last decade, Senator says stats show progress, more work to do

(Oklahoma City) During the last decade, Oklahoma did more to increase teacher salaries than almost any other state in the country, according to new statistics released by the National Education Association.

From the 1990-91 to 2000-01 school year, Oklahoma ranked 6th highest in the country for the percentage increase it granted in teacher salaries. When adjusted for inflation during that 10-year period, teacher pay rose by 8.2 percent in Oklahoma, well above the national average of just 0.5 percent, according to the NEA.

Even with those increases, however, Oklahoma still ranked 44th overall in NEAs national comparison of teacher salaries for the 2000-01 school year. Thats an improvement from 49th in NEAs ranking last year.

The rankings tell us that weve come a long way in the last 10 years, but unfortunately, we still have a long way to go when it comes to paying our teachers a competitive wage. If we want to have the best teachers and the best public education system in country, its critical that we continue to focus on boosting teacher pay in the decade to come, said State Senator Cal Hobson, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

Teacher pay has increased significantly in Oklahoma over the last 10 years, boosted by pay hikes mandated in the Education Reform Act of 1990 (HB 1017) and a $3,000 across-the-board increase passed by the Legislature in 2000.

Lawmakers are trying to bolster the overall compensation package of educators again this year by expanding teacher health insurance benefits. Legislative leaders have agreed to devote an additional $35 million to health coverage in a budget pact that was announced last week.

Historically, Oklahoma hasnt done a very good job of paying its teachers and weve worked very hard in the last 10 years to change that tradition. Although we havent caught up with our counterparts around the country yet, I think we should be promoting the progress that weve made and telling people that Oklahoma is committed to building an even better education system in the years to come, said Sen. Hobson (D-Lexington).

The latest NEA rankings come on the heels of another teacher compensation study by the American Federation of Teachers that was cited last week by the State Regents for Higher Education. Because the AFT report used outdated data from the 1999-2000 school year, it ranked Oklahoma 50th in teacher pay, not taking into account the $3,000 pay hike approved by legislators in 2000.

The NEA study, which did have the latest pay statistics from 2000-01, put Oklahoma at 44th in the country.

When youre 44th, you probably shouldnt be bragging, but certainly 44th is better than 50th. With other states increasing their pay levels, were always going to be aiming at a moving target of sorts, but the rankings are an important measurement that people monitor, particularly economic prospects. They know that teacher pay is a critical component of a good public education system and a good public education system is a critical component of the states overall business climate, said Sen. Hobson.