Large and medium-size school districts are hiring more rookie teachers and eliminating administrative jobs to reduce their costs, a recent survey by the Educational Research Service says.
Average salaries for teachers in those districts have fallen below the national average, according to the survey of salaries and wages in public schools reported this month in the E.R.S. journal Spectrum.
For example, the average yearly earnings of teachers in large districts was $34,965 in 1994-95, about $2,300 less than the average for all districts at that time.
The study says the trend--which is also found in medium-size districts to a lesser degree--suggests those schools are replacing veteran instructors with inexperienced teachers at the lower end of the pay scale.
In addition, those mid-size and large districts appear to be downsizing their central offices, the E.R.S. reported. The study found the number of pupils per administrator has risen in large and medium-size districts in recent years.
The ratio in large districts climbed to about 714 students per administrator this school year, compared with the national average of about 602 students for every school official during that period.
Information on ordering copies of the “National Survey of Salaries and Wages in Public Schools” is available from the E.R.S. at 2000 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, Va. 22201; (703) 243-2100; fax (703) 243-8316.
