School is back in session.

Being married to an educator I get to hear all the reasons why South Dakota teachers are in need of a pay increase.

My wife has a very good paying job. But many of her colleagues are grossly underpaid, especially when compared to the average teacher salaries throughout the rest of the country.

The argument for better teacher pay in South Dakota came to light again after the findings from a recent report by the National Education Association, that showed the average public school teacher salary in South Dakota in the 2013-2014 school year was $40,023.

That number positioned South Dakota at 51st out of all states plus the District of Columbia.

In comparison, neighboring South Dakota states, like Minnesota, paid their teachers an average salary of $54,752, good enough for the 21st ranking. Iowa came in at number 25 with an average teacher salary of $52,032. Nebraska claimed the 32nd spot in the report with an average teacher salary of $49,539.

Heck, even North Dakota, long paired with South Dakota at the bottom of the rankings, was at number 36 a year ago, with an average salary of $48,666, boosted by oil production tax revenues directed to relieve local school district property tax levels, giving districts opportunities to raise teachers’ pay.

As a matter of fact, North Dakota was near the top a year ago in the percentage change over a decade in teachers’ salaries, according to NEA. From the 2003-04 school year to the 2013-14 school year, North Dakota’s average teachers’ salary rose by 36.6 percent.

Conversely, South Dakota’s average teacher’s salary increased by 20.4 percent over that same period.

South Dakota did fair well in one category. The state was actually near the top in the NEA’s list of most recent year-to-year increases, showing a 2.6 percent increase in average public school teachers salaries from 2012-13 to 2013-14, behind North Dakota’s 2.8 percent increase.

Here's a real eye opening stat, South Dakota’s average teacher’s salary was 52.3 percent of the number 1 paying teacher state, New York, whose average teacher salary is $76,409.

I get there's a huge disparity when it comes to the cost of living between South Dakota and a state like New York, but when you see a statistic like that, you kind of understand why so many South Dakota teachers and teacher graduates look outside the state to find better employment.

While it's true there are a number of contributing factors as to why we currently have a teacher shortage in South Dakota, there's no denying the fact that our teachers deserve more competitive pay.

Now it's up to the state education task force, the legislators and our governor to figure out how to pull it off. The future of our students depend on it.

Source: Capital Journal

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