Salaries & Benefits

Education news, analysis, and opinion about pay and benefits for school and district employees

See also: Performance Pay, Retirement & Pensions, Unions, Teaching Profession

Explainer

Thousands of teachers marched and rallied in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 15, 2018. A month later, more than 30,000 educators went on strike for a pay raise, smaller class sizes, and more support staff.
Teacher Pay: How Salaries, Pensions, and Benefits Work in Schools
An Education Week primer on teacher salaries, raises, performance pay, pensions, Social Security benefits, and health-care premiums.
View Explainer
Illustration of an empty classroom.
Medesulda/DigitalVision Vectors
Teaching Profession No, Teachers Don't Take More Time Off Than Other Professionals. Here's How They Compare
Concerns about teacher absences have been voiced for years. New research compares absences between teachers and similar occupations.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 8, 2023
•
5 min read
A conceptual image of a female being paid less than a male.
hyejin kang/iStock/Getty
School & District Management A New Study Details Gender and Racial Disparities in the Superintendent's Office
Women and people of color are less likely than their white male counterparts to be appointed superintendent directly from a principal post.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 5, 2023
•
6 min read
Lisa Raskin, who is a teacher at Jefferson Union High School District, talks about living on her own at the district's new housing complex in Daly City, Calif., on July 8, 2022. The school district in San Mateo County is among just a handful of places in the country with educator housing. But with a national teacher shortage and rapidly rising rents, the working class district could serve as a harbinger as schools across the U.S. seek to attract and retain educators.
Lisa Raskin, who is a teacher at the Jefferson Union high school district, talks about living on her own at the district's new housing complex in Daly City, Calif., on July 8, 2022. Only a handful of places in the country have educator housing, but teacher shortages and rapidly rising rents are making more districts take note.
Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP
Recruitment & Retention 'Lesson Planning in the Laundry Room': What Housing for Teachers Looks Like
From converted schools and tiny houses, to shiny new complexes, districts have tackled new ideas to make sure their teachers can live nearby.
Madeline Will, December 4, 2023
•
7 min read
Clint Mitchell, superintendent for Colonial Beach Public Schools in Colonial Beach, Va., visits a class at Colonial Beach Elementary School on Nov. 6, 2023. New EdWeek Research Center survey data shows how school leaders plan to go about boosting the diversity of their teaching corps.
Clint Mitchell, superintendent for Colonial Beach Public Schools in Colonial Beach, Va., visits a class at Colonial Beach Elementary School on Nov. 6, 2023.
Brian Palmer for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention From Our Research Center Districts' Strategies to Diversify Teaching Staff, in Charts
New EdWeek Research Center survey data highlights how districts plan to recruit and retain more teachers of color.
Ileana Najarro, December 4, 2023
•
2 min read
Two professional adults, with a money symbol.
sankai/iStock/Getty
School & District Management 13 States Bar School Board Members From Getting Paid. Here's Where It's Allowed (Map)
There are more calls to increase school board members' pay, or to allow them to be paid at all.
Caitlynn Peetz & Maya Riser-Kositsky, November 29, 2023
•
2 min read
Jefferson Union High School District's new housing complex for teachers and education staff is shown in Daly City, Calif., on July 8, 2022. The school district in San Mateo County is among just a handful of places in the country with educator housing. But with a national teacher shortage and rapidly rising rents, the working class district could serve as a harbinger as schools across the U.S. seek to attract and retain educators.
Jefferson Union High School District's new housing complex for teachers and education staff is shown in Daly City, Calif., on July 8, 2022. It's among just a handful of places in the country with educator housing, a perk being considered by districts to attract and retain educators.
Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP
Recruitment & Retention More Districts Are Building Housing for Teachers. Here's What to Know
The recruitment and retention strategy is gaining in popularity, but districts must consider financing, time, and affordability.
Madeline Will, November 22, 2023
•
6 min read
Image of a dollar sign being pushed up by a red arrow.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Should School Board Members Be Paid? More Districts Are Trying It Out
Some school boards are trying to attract more diverse candidate slates. But it's still unknown whether paying members helps.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 14, 2023
•
6 min read
Image of a clock on supplies.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva<br/>
Teaching Profession Teachers Don't Qualify for Overtime Pay. Should They?
Teachers are exempt from overtime-pay laws. Some say that rule deserves a second look.
Madeline Will, November 8, 2023
•
4 min read
Happy Black female student celebrating while receiving exam results from her Black female teacher in the classroom.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Here's What High School Students of Color Think About Being a Teacher
New research asked high school students of color and Indigenous students what they think about a career in teaching.
Madeline Will, October 17, 2023
•
6 min read
Illustration of an adult male pole jumping over a very large red dollar sign.
iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Q&A A District Raised All Teacher Salaries, Some by Almost 22K. How It's Working
Leaders said condensing the district's 16-tier pay scale was just one of the tools they used.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 4, 2023
•
7 min read
Illustration of a man pushing half of clock and half of a money coin forward on a red arrow
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management Federal Rule Could Require Overtime Pay for More School Employees
A proposed rule would raise the minimum salary threshold for employees who qualify for overtime pay.
Evie Blad, October 3, 2023
•
2 min read
Illustration of Police silhouettes and a subtle dollar sign to show SRO funding
Wildpixel/iStock
School & District Management After Teachers, America's Schools Spend More on Security Guards Than Any Other Role
New estimates from the Urban Institute indicate school resource officers cost more than $2 billion every year.
Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz, September 22, 2023
•
4 min read
Elementary teacher, working at her desk in an empty classroom.
martinedoucet/E+
Teaching Profession Teachers Work 50-Plus Hours a Week—And Other Findings From a New Survey on Teacher Pay
Planning, preparation, and other duties stretch teachers' working hours long past what's in their contracts.
Madeline Will, September 12, 2023
•
5 min read
Tia Martin teaches a third-grade class at Ulis Elementary School in Henderson, Nev., on Sept. 10, 2015. Martin is a long-term substitute teacher who is taking an alternative route to licensure program to get a regular teaching license. After years of recession-related layoffs and hiring freezes, school systems in pockets across the United States are in urgent need of more qualified teachers and students, instead of meeting their new teacher on their first day of class, are finding a substitute.
Tia Martin teaches a third-grade class at Ulis Elementary School in Henderson, Nev., on Sept. 10, 2015. Martin is a long-term substitute teacher who is taking an alternative route to licensure program to get a regular teaching license. After years of recession-related layoffs and hiring freezes, school systems in pockets across the United States are in urgent need of more qualified teachers and students, instead of meeting their new teacher on their first day of class, are finding a substitute.
John Locher/AP
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says How to Find (and Keep) Substitutes
Educators and leaders discuss ways to deepen the substitute labor pool amid staff shortages and absenteeism.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 1, 2023
•
2 min read
Load More ▼