Teacher Housing Initiatives (File No. 030313)

OLA#: 010-03

 

 

LEGISLATIVE ANALYST REPORT

 

 

TO:                              Honorable Members of the Board of Supervisors

FROM:                        Sasha Polonsky, Office of the Legislative Analyst

DATE:                         June 30, 2003

SUBJECT:                   Teacher Housing Initiatives (File No. 030313)

 

 

SUMMARY OF REQUESTED ACTION

 

A request submitted by Supervisors Ammiano, Ma and Maxwell asks that the Office of the Legislative Analyst, in consultation with the SFUSD, research and report on existing SFUSD teacher salaries compared with other school districts in California and national averages, adjusted to reflect the cost of living in the Bay Area.  The Supervisors requested that the OLA further report on teacher housing initiatives, including housing subsidies, employed by other jurisdictions.

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

Background and/or Issues in Brief

 

The City of San Francisco’s ability to educate its children depends heavily on the quality of its classroom teachers.  Developing and maintaining a high quality labor force in the San Francisco Unified School District is a challenge, especially considering the high cost of living in the Bay Area.  Research and public opinion polls continually report that a high quality teacher is the number one indicator of student achievement.  In order to continue to attract and maintain the best teachers for SFUSD, the City should consider options to increase teacher incentives within the SFUSD system.

           

 

BACKGROUND

 

San Francisco Teacher Salaries

 

            Credentialed Teachers

 

Credentialed teachers in San Francisco are classified into three groups for purposes of salary schedule: I) teachers holding a BA degree, II) teachers holding a BA and an additional 30 units of coursework, and III) teachers holding a BA and an additional 60 units of coursework.  Teachers who transfer from other districts are given credit for the number of years they have served outside of San Francisco as a credentialed teacher.  Salaries are eligible for increase according to the number of years as a credentialed teacher.  (See Appendix Table I for detail).

 

Non-Credentialed Teachers

 

Non-credentialed teachers in San Francisco are classified into the same three categories as credentialed teachers: I) teachers holding a BA degree, II) teachers holding a BA degree and an additional 30 units of coursework, and III) teachers holding a BA degree and 60 units of coursework.   Non-credentialed teachers are used primarily as interns or as emergency help for the school district.  The salary schedule for these positions is not designed for permanent positions. (See Appendix Table II for detail).

 

National Teacher Salaries

 

National Averages

 

In a fall 2002 report by the National Education Association, California ranked first for highest average salaries of public school teachers in 2001-02, with an average salary of $53,870.  This figure represented a 2.6% increase from the previous year, and launched California into the number one spot, ahead of Connecticut with a $53,551 average (the previous front-runner) and New York with a $53,081 average (number three in 2000-01 and 2001-02). Other top ten states included: Michigan ($52,037), New Jersey ($51,186), Pennsylvania ($50,599), Illinois ($50,000), Rhode Island ($49,758), Alaska ($49,418), and Massachusetts ($49,054).  (See Appendix Table III for detail).

 

California Averages

 

With approximately six million children enrolled in California public schools, recruiting and retaining the best possible teachers for the state is a critical issue.  Given a teacher workforce of more than 300,000 statewide, it is also a tremendous challenge.

 

As a group, California’s teachers are formally trained, state-certified professionals.  In the 2000-01 school year, 86 percent of the state’s classroom teachers were fully credentialed.[1]   While the requirements continue to change over the years, in general, being “credentialed”[2] means that they:

 

  • hold at least a bachelor’s degree;
  • have demonstrated their knowledge by passing the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) and satisfying subject matter requirements through coursework or evaluation; and
  • have completed schooling or training that includes classroom practice, such as student teaching, as well as classwork in various state-required areas, such as reading instruction and the use of technology.  (This can be included in a four-year bachelor’s degree program, constitute a fifth year of schooling, or be completed concurrent with employment through an internship program).

 

 

 

 

Averages Can Be Misleading

 

Teachers across the country are generally paid according to a uniform salary schedule established at the district level.  This means that within each district, teachers with the same level of education and years of experience are paid the same salary.  For example, all teachers with a bachelor’s degree and one year of teaching experience receive the same amount.  Similarly, all teachers with a master’s degree and 20 years experience earn the same amount.  With a uniform salary schedule, two different districts can have identical salary schedules – paying teachers the same amount at each education/experience step on the schedule – and have very different average salaries.  For example, if District A has a disproportionately higher number of new teachers than does District B, the average salary paid by District A will be lower than that paid by District B, all other factors being equal.  Often salary ranges provide a better picture of what teachers can earn.  Nonetheless, these statistical biases must be taken into account.

 

Teacher Salaries in California are Highly Variable

 

The best source of data from comparing teacher salaries within the state is the California Department of Education (CDE).  Each year, school districts voluntarily submit salary and benefit information to the CDE.  It is then compiled and made available to the public on the department's website.  According to EdSource Inc.’s analysis of this data, California teachers beginning their careers in the 2000-01 school year earned $33,193 on average.  The most experienced teachers – those at the top of their district’s pay scale – earned an average of $63,484.  As with other state averages, these statistics mask the degree of variation that exists within the state.[3]

 

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) publishes reports of minimum and maximum teacher salaries in various jurisdictions across the United States.  In California two years ago, they broke out as follows:

 

Table A.  California Cities Ranked by

Minimum and Maximum Salary, 2000-01[4]

 

California District

BA Minimum

MA Maximum

San Francisco

$37,607

$58,187

Oakland

$36,416

$50,825

San Jose

$35,665

$52,593

San Diego

$33,904

$53,143

Sacramento

$33,733

$47,761

Los Angeles

$32,569

$45,166

 

Please note that this information is only available from AFT through 2000-01, and does not reflect San Francisco’s salary increases since 2001.  See Appendix Table I for details of increases.

 

Cost-of-Living Adjustments

 

California’s salary averages for teachers and other professionals appear to unilaterally surpass the national averages.  However, the variability of costs across different geographical areas is a crucial consideration in drawing national comparisons.  The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) uses an index to adjust the dollar value of each region to reflect the relative differences in the “buying power” of these dollars compared with the national average. 

 

Two years ago, based on the adjusted salary comparisons across various US cities presented in the table below, teacher salaries in San Francisco were at the bottom of the national scale.  Teacher salaries in San Francisco have increased considerably in the past two years, but affordability of housing and other costs remains a concern for many teachers.

 

Table B.  A Cross-Section of National Salaries

Adjusted by 2001 Cost-of-Living Index[5]

 

City

MA Maximum (2001)

Cost-of-Living Index[6]

Adjusted MA Maximum

Pittsburgh, PA

$66,380

105.1

$63,159

Grand Rapids, MI

$56,880

97.6

$58,279

Dallas, TX

$55,821

97.1

$57,488

Miami, FL

$59,275

106.7

$55,553

St. Louis, MO

$49,500

98.1

$50,459

Portland, OR

$51,365

103.3

$49,724

New York, NY

$65,865

139.6

$47,181

San Diego, CA

$53,143

126.3

$42,077

Boston, MA

$59,669

154.0

$38,746

Oakland, CA

$50,825

132.0

$38,504

San Francisco, CA

$58,187

179.8

$32,362

Los Angeles, CA

$45,166

140.0

$32,261

 

 

Within the state of California, annual living expenses are reportedly highest in the Bay Area region.  Data compiled by the California Budget Project in 2001 divided the state of California into 10 regions, estimating monthly and annual living expenses necessary to support a “modest standard of living” for various family configurations statewide for each region.[7]  For example, statewide a two-parent family of four with one employed parent needed an annual income of $36,245 in 2000 to pay for basic living expenses, such as housing (based on rental costs), utilities, transportation, food, health care, and taxes.  In the San Francisco Bay Area, the same family needed $42,304 annually, in contrast with $30,811 necessary in areas of central California, $35,207 in Los Angeles, and $36,681 in San Diego. 

 

Existing Housing Initiatives

 

Several California jurisdictions have implemented programs to assist local teachers with down payment and mortgage assistance toward buying a new home.  Such programs have been created in order to incentivize high quality district teachers to remain teaching in low performing schools.

 

State Funding
 

Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase Program
In September of 2000, the Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase Program (ECTHPP) was created with an initial allocation of $64 million in tax-exempt bond authority. In January 2001, the California Debt Limitation Allocation Committee (CDLAC) approved a $100 million allocation for the Extra Credit Program. The program helped eligible credentialed staff willing to serve in low performing schools to purchase a home. 

 

The ECTHPP is now available throughout the state of California through the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA).  Priority is given to eligible teachers and eligible administrators working in low performing schools with API Rankings 1, 2 and 3, and teachers are required to serve in the school for three years. Oakland, Los Angeles and Santa Clara are examples of districts that are utilizing this program; San Francisco has received funding in past years.

 

In addition to CalHFA’s statewide program, the cities of Oakland, and Los Angeles have received an allocation of tax credits or mortgage revenue bonds from the California Debt Limitation Allocation Committee to be used to support a program to recruit and retain teachers and administrators agreeing to serve in low performing schools.  Top priority for funding is given to programs that match the State awarded allocation with local homeownership assistance (such as assistance for down-payments and closing costs). Priority is also given to programs that indicate the highest need for recruitment and retention and most effectively utilize the allocation to retain and recruit qualified teachers and administrators.

 

Teachers can qualify for either a First Loan or Second Loan.  Terms of the First Loan include a 30-year term, fixed below market rate loan amount to the maximum according to income.  Terms of the Second Loan include a $7,500 loan and forgivable interest from 5 percent to 0 percent.  If the teacher or principal remains employed at a low performing school continuously for five years, the interest rate on the second loan will be reduced progressively to zero percent and remain there for the term of the loan.

 

CalHFA Housing Assistance Program

The CalHFA Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) is designed to provide up to 100% of the financing needs of prospective eligible first-time homebuyers.  It generally consists of a standard 97% CalHFA fixed-rate 30-year mortgage (at CalHFA's published below-market interest rate at the time the loan is reserved) and a 3% CalHFA down payment assistance second mortgage, which is also called a "sleeping" second.  Borrowers can use additional down payment funds; however, the total maximum loan(s)-to-value cannot exceed 100%.  The CHAP loan is subordinate to a CalHFA first loan, making it a second mortgage.  The second mortgage is offered for 30 years at 5% simple interest.  All payments are deferred on this second mortgage until one of the following happens: the CalHFA first mortgage becomes due and payable; the first mortgage is paid in full or refinanced; or, the property is sold.[8]

 

The following criteria are required for constituents to qualify for a CalHFA loan[9]:

  • Be a first-time homebuyer, which is defined as a person(s) who has not had an ownership interest in their primary residence during the previous three years. (Requirement is waived if property is located in a Federally designated "Targeted Area*".)
  • Have an annual household/family income that does not exceed income limits for the family size and county in which the home is located. Have sufficient funds available to meet the required downpayment - 3-5% plus closing costs. Some restrictions apply to gift funds. Property must be owner-occupied for the term of the loan or until sold. Meet credit, income and loan requirements of the CalHFA lender and the mortgage insurer.
  • Be a citizen or other national of the United States or a qualified alien as defined by the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA)

 

* Targeted Areas: Census tracts in which 70% or more of the families have income, which is 80% or less of the statewide median family income.

 

New State Legislation

Recently (May 7, 2003), Assembly Democrats in Sacramento called for earmarking $1 billion next year to help working families buy a first home, find affordable apartments in tight rental markets and to encourage local governments to adopt smart growth practices.  The $1 billion package, which Assembly Democrats are incorporating into their budget in lieu of a housing bond, would help more than 21,000 Californians buy a first home and provide affordable rental housing for more than 19,000 other families statewide. 

 

The plan earmarks $265 million to help working families buy first homes, including assistance for teachers, support for “sweat equity” and self-help projects, grants to non-profit housing organization, and funds to allow the California Housing Finance Agency to provide low-interest loans and down payment assistance to low-income home buyers.  The proposal also calls for setting aside $425 million to build and restore affordable rental housing through the state’s Multifamily Housing Program, and to provide tax credits to organizations that build rental homes for low-income residents. San Francisco’s involvement is as yet undetermined.[10]

 

Other Programs: San Jose

 

The City of San Jose implemented a program in April 1999 to help school teachers buy homes at a time when the city was experiencing a tight and competitive housing market.  The Homebuyer Program allows San Jose public school teachers to apply for 100% financing of their first home in San Jose, up to $240,000.  Over the first 10 years of the loan, the buyer would pay only 80-85% of the first mortgage loan.  In addition, the City provides a zero-interest, down-payment loan of up to three percent of the home’s purchase price up to $7,200.  This loan would be repayable in 30 years.  To take part in the Homebuyer Program, teachers must meet eligibility requirements, including household income limits.  The program is designed for credentialed and emergency credentialed full-time teachers who teach grades K through 12 in San Jose.

 

Since the Homebuyer Program was established, more than 300 San Jose teachers have been able to take advantage of a wide range of housing assistance to buy their first homes.  First homes can include single family detached homes, town homes, and condominiums.  Mobile homes may be considered on an exception basis, subject to availability of special funds set aside for mobile home loans.  The homebuyer’s monthly housing costs cannot exceed the Affordable Housing Cost Limit (AHCL).  Eligible teachers can receive up to $40,000 in zero-interest down payment assistance through the San Jose Housing Department.  A private lender can finance the remainder of the purchase price.

 

According to Korey Richardson at the San Jose Department of Housing (DOH), this program originated from the Mayor’s office, and was created out of Redevelopment Agency (RDA) funds.  The City provides short-term financing to developers that is converted into down payment assistance for homebuyers.  Since its inception in 1999, a total of $12 million from the RDA have funded over 300 transactions, including an investment of $4 million for 2002-03 alone.  As such, the Department is currently not accepting additional applications for this year.  Funding for the teacher Homebuyer Program is derived from the following sources:

 

20% Housing Funds[11] through San Jose DOH

The DOH relies on a number of sources to finance its activities.  The main source of funding is the “20% Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Funds.”  As required by State law, 20% of the gross tax increment funds received by a Redevelopment Agency must be deposited into a Fund that assists in the preservation and production of affordable housing.  Through a cooperative agreement with the Agency, the DOH is responsible for the administration of these funds.  On average, the 20% Fund has provided the City with $14 million annually for its affordable housing programs. 

 

Supplemental Redevelopment Agency Funding[12]

The Redevelopment Agency has agreed to provide the Housing Department with supplemental funding, over and above the 20% Funds required by law to be set aside for affordable housing.

 

In addition, Mr. Richardson referred to California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) loans funded through Proposition 46, a $2.1 billion California housing bond issue to fund numerous housing programs, approved in November of 2002.  Such loans provide deferred repayment loan assistance (3% simple interest) for 3% of the purchase price.

 

Other Programs: Oakland

 

The City of Oakland provides three programs offering assistance to credentialed teachers who teach at low-performing schools in the City of Oakland:

 

  • The City’s Down Payment Assistance Program for Public Safety Employees and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Teachers;
  • Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase Assistance Program (detailed above); and
  • Mortgage Credit Certificate Program for Oakland Teachers through Alameda County. 

 

The two latter programs can be combined with the Public Safety Employees & Teacher Down Payment Assistance Program.

 

Down Payment Assistance for Public Safety Employees & Oakland Unified School District Teachers

This program provides a loan of up to $10,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance, with a 10-year term with six percent interest.  No payments or interest are due during the first five years; the remaining balance is due after 10 years, or when the home is sold or refinanced.  This program is available to sworn Police and Fire service officers or trainees and full time OUSD teachers at or below 120% of median income levels.  Property possibilities include single-family homes, condos, townhouses, live/work units and manufactured housing.

 

Teacher Mortgage Credit Certificate (TMCC) Program for Oakland Teachers

TMCC recipients may take 20 percent of their annual mortgage interest payments as a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their federal income taxes.  The home buyer adjusts federal income tax withholdings, increasing income available to pay the mortgage.  The borrower must be a first-time homebuyer and a teacher, administrator, nurse, counselor, or psychologist who holds the necessary credential for his/her position.  The borrower also must be employed full-time in a low-performing school in the Oakland Unified School district and commit to teaching at a low performing school for three continuous years from the close of the loan.  Income limits are $74,500 for one or two persons; $85,675 for three persons.  Property possibilities include single-family homes, mobile homes, condos, townhouses, or duplexes.

 

According to Christina Morales in the Oakland Department of Housing & Community Development, funding for mortgage revenue bonds derives from CDLAC.  The City applied for funding in February of 2002, and had the programs up and running in one year.  Currently, $11.5 million is set aside for the TMCC and Extra Credit Home Teacher Purchase programs.  According to the Department, there has not yet been much positive response to this program for four primary reasons:

 

  • Teachers do not want to live in Oakland.
  • Teachers do not want to live in areas where they teach.
  • Teachers do not want to purchase a home that is below the standard to which they are accustomed through renting.
  • School district administrators have been hesitant to encourage outreach to their teachers.

 

Other Programs: Los Angeles

 

The City of Los Angeles offers two housing assistance programs to local teachers: a Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) program and the Extra Credit Teacher’s Home Purchase Program (ECTHPP).  Both programs are funded through an application for bond allocation with the California Treasurer’s Office.  This year, state funding for the two programs comprises a combined $20 million, and is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.  In the past, there has not been great demand for the MRB program, according to Los Angeles Financial Development Officer George Guillen.  As such, funding for the two programs has been combined to accommodate teacher demand, and funds for these two programs are exhausted each year through participating lenders.

 

Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) Program

The MRB program is state-funded by application with the state treasurer, and is available to credentialed and non-credentialed teachers as well as constituents of other occupations seeking first-time home-buying assistance.  This program offers a three percent gift for the first loan amount, and a 5.25% interest rate. 

 

Mr. Guillen additionally referred to state programs offered by the California Housing and Finance Agency (CalHFA).  Many teachers and other Los Angeles constituents are eligible to participate in these state-funded programs, which often provide lower interest rates than the MRB or ECTHPP.  According to Mr. Guillen, some California jurisdictions that do not offer programs like MRB or ECTHPP simply refer teachers to the CalHFA state programs.  These state programs typically do not provide gifts for down payment assistance.

 

 

 

 

Other Programs: Santa Clara

 

Housing Trust of Santa Clara County (HTSCC)

Santa Clara has taken a different approach to addressing housing for low-income employees, such as teachers, through a unique Trust which provides down payment assistance and low-cost rentals.  The HTSCC is a public/private initiative spearheading the creation of more long-term affordable housing, first-time homebuyers and extremely low-income housing assistance in Santa Clara.  Established through a consortium of institutions, the HTSCC was founded in 1997 by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, Santa Clara County Collaborative on Housing and Homelessness, and Community Foundation Silicon Valley.  The Trust has evolved into a broad-based working coalition of more than 70 public and private sector housing leaders, lenders, environmental organizations, and city and county officials who are either Board members or Housing Trust partners.

 

The initial goal of the HTSCC initiative has been to help nearly 5,000 low- to moderate-income individuals and families severely affected by the housing crisis.  Among the individuals targeted are teachers.

 

The HTSCC fundraising campaign raised the initial $20 million in 2001, and has become one of the largest and most successful community fundraising campaigns conducted in Silicon Valley.  The initial $20 million is expected to achieve the following objectives[13]:

  • Provide first-time homebuyers assistance for 800 families.
  • Create affordable rental housing for 3,000 Silicon Valley families.
  • Provide incentive loans to build transitional and permanent housing for the homeless or persons at-risk of homelessness.
  • Leverage over $190 million in additional housing development funds through grants and loans to developers.
  • Replenish itself as an ongoing funding source as first-time homebuyer and affordable rental home loans are repaid, and additional funding is secured.

 

CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATIONS

 

San Francisco is not currently funding any teacher incentive programs, according to the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH).  The city did receive funding from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC) in 2001, but the state funding expired on December 31, 2002.  That funding was used to support down payment assistance and below-market mortgage rates for participating teachers.  The MOH has recently submitted an application for continued funding for the Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase Program, which, if awarded, would begin in late June of 2003.  This funding would provide low interest rates and down payment assistance in the form of a $7,500 forgivable loan to eligible teachers and administrators in low performing schools.

 

Of further note, San Francisco attempted a San Francisco Teacher Housing Initiative in the recent past that was later rescinded.  The San Francisco Board of Education resolved in May of 2000 to investigate development of approximately 50-100 units of housing on land owned by the District, to be made available for teachers.  The motion authorized the expenditure of up to $275,000 from developer fees for pre-development.  This resolution was rescinded in October of 2000. 

 

The Legislative Analyst recommends that the Board of Supervisors may want to consider a program for low-cost housing rentals modeled after Santa Clara’s effort.  Beyond this, San Francisco needs a solution to mortgage assistance that can attract the kind of numbers San Jose has experienced.  The city needs to address the disparity between teacher income and housing costs, particularly for teachers with 5-15 years of experience in SFUSD, the group that this city cannot afford to lose to school systems in lower-cost housing markets.  Feedback from teachers, according to Brad Stam, Director of the Office of Teacher Affairs, demonstrates that prospects of rental and mortgage assistance are somewhat insulting as a replacement for salary increases.  Larger “silent seconds” (second loans for which payment can be deferred throughout the life of the loan) might be part of the solution – San Jose’s go upwards of $40,000.  This would require a financial investment.

 

According to Korey Richardson at the San Jose DOH, San Francisco could benefit from using Redevelopment Agency (RDA) funds for first-mortgage assistance, and utilizing a bond measure only for down payment assistance.  Mr. Richardson reports that in San Jose, the interest rates through RDA are very low, and thus effective for mortgage assistance.  He advised that San Francisco, when considering a bond measure for down payment assistance, recognize that only if the bond measure is taxable can those funds be combined with RDA funds.  Funds derived from a tax-exempt bond measure cannot be combined with RDA funds.

 

According to Mr. Guillen at the L.A. DOH, San Francisco might also consider referring constituents to CalHFA programs for home-buying assistance (detailed above).  Interests rates for such state programs typically run approximately 4.25-5.25%, and are available to qualified individuals in California.

 


 

 

APPENDIX

 

Table I.  San Francisco Unified School District

Credentialed Teachers: Salary Schedule for 2002-2003[14]

 

Classification Rating/Year Step

I

BA

II

BA + 30

III

BA + 60

2

$40,310

$40,841

$41,902

3

$40,841

$41,371

$42,432

4

$41,371

$41,902

$42,962

5

$41,902

$42,432

$44,359

6

$42,432

$42,962

$46,530

7

$42,962

$43,493

$48,700

8

$43,493

$44,174

$50,872

9

$44,023

$45,929

$53,042

10

$44,554

$47,685

$55,213

11

$45,084

$49,442

$57,384

12

$45,919

$51,197

$59,554

13

$47,540

$52,953

$59,554

14

$49,161

NA

$59,554

A=15-17

NA

NA

$61,725

B=18-20

NA

NA

$63,895

C=21-23

NA

NA

$66,067

D=24-26

NA

NA

$68,237

E=27

NA

NA

$70,407

 

 

           

Table II.  San Francisco Unified School District

Non-Credentialed Teachers (Emergency/Intern): Salary Schedule for 2002-2003[15]

 

Classification Rating/Year Step

I

BA

II

BA + 30

III

BA + 60

1

$35,548

$35,814

$37,847

2

$35,548

$35,814

$37,847

3

$35,814

$36,079

$40,018

4

$36,079

$37,151

$42,188

5

$36,344

$38,907

$44,359

6

$36,609

$40,663

$46,530

 

Table III.  Highlights of the National Education Association’s 2002 Report[16]

 

Measure

2000-01

2001-02

% Change

Average Teacher Salary ($)

43,339

44,499

+2.7

Public School Enrollment

46,961,031

47,416,002

+1.0

Number of Teachers

2,919,496

2,968,904

+1.7

Student-teacher ratio (not class size)

16.1

16.0

-0.7

Current expenditures per student

7,189

7,463

+3.8

Current expenditures ($’000)

337,609,733

353,882,216

+4.8

 

 

 

 

Total Expenditures ($’000)

392,796,393

413,011,822

+5.1

Total Revenue ($’000)

386,996,922

403,797,308

+4.3

 

 

Table IV.  National Data Compare California’s

Average Teacher Salaries with Teachers Nationwide[17]

 

Teachers (Public and Private)

California

United States

Kindergarten, except Special Education

$43,860

$40,230

Elementary School, except Special Education

$46,720

$41,980

Middle School, except Special Education and Vocational Education

$47,350

$41,890

Secondary, except Special Education and Vocational Education

$50,200

$43,030

Comparable Occupations

 

 

Child, Family & School Social Workers

$36,150

$33,530

Preschool & Child Care Center/Program Educational Administrators

$42,360

$36,330

Editors

$47,430

$44,350

Social Community Service Managers

$47,650

$42,550

Librarians

$48,600

$42,730

Public Relations Specialists

$50,280

$43,700

Chemists

$50,690

$54,280

Accountants & Auditors

$52,040

$48,090

Historians

$54,840

$42,120

Registered Nurses

$56,140

$46,410

Mathematicians

$74,980

$67,770

 



[1] EdSource, Inc. report: “Teacher Pay in California: Is it Fair? Is it Competitive? Is it Enough?”, April 2002

[2] EdSource, Inc. report: “Teacher Pay in California: Is it Fair? Is it Competitive? Is it Enough?”, April 2002

[3] EdSource, Inc., 2002

[4] Data from American Federation of Teachers, Survey & Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends 2001

[5] American Federation of Teachers, 2002

[6] National Average cost-of-living for 2001 is 108.1

[7] EdSource, Inc., 2002 and California Budget Project, 2001

[8] California Housing and Finance Agency, www. calhfa.ca.gov

[9] California Housing and Finance Agency, www. calhfa.ca.gov

[10] California State Assembly Democratic Caucus, 5/7/03

[11] San Jose Department of Housing

[12] San Jose Department of Housing

[13] Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, http://www.housingtrustscc.org

[14] Effective July 1, 2002; Salary based on K-12 184 day work year (Ed. Code 45203.1)

[15] Effective July 1, 2002; Salary based on K-12 184 day work year (Ed. Code 45203.1)

[16] Data based on information from state departments of education; focused on public education system.  Average salary constitutes the arithmetic mean of the salaries of the group described.  That figure is the average gross salary before deductions for Social Security, retirement, health insurance, etc.

[17] Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics California and national, April 2002