More New Jersey school districts are paying their teachers higher starting wages.
Teachers in New Jersey earn some of the highest annual teacher salaries in the country. For example, New Jersey teacher starting salaries are generally higher than starting salaries earned by teachers in neighboring states like Pennsylvania. Additionally, teachers who earn graduate degrees before they are hired to work in the state's classrooms can receive higher starting salaries than teachers who only have undergraduate degrees.
Starting Salaries Across New Jersey
Most educators in New Jersey must obtain an undergraduate education degree and pass licensing examinations before they start teaching students. After they complete their training, average salaries they earn vary. However, as of 2006, New Jersey's teachers started out earning approximately $38,408 a year according to Teacher Portal. Additionally, having a master's degree can help teachers to earn about $3,200 more a year according to Teacher World. According to NJ Spotlight the 2006 starting salary is considerably higher than what New Jersey teachers earned in 1987 when Governor Thomas Kean signed the state's first minimum teacher salary pay rate into law. Back then new teachers earned at least $18,500 a year.
School District Starting Salaries
By 2011, New Jersey schools were paying their teachers starting salaries that ranged from $40,000 to $50,000. The New Jersey Education Association reports that more than 100 school districts in the state were expected to pay their new teachers at least $50,000. For example, teachers working in Atlantic County had starting salaries that ranged between $50,990 and $52,896. Monmouth County paid its new teachers starting salaries from $50,085 up to $56,500. Teachers in Mercer County started out earning between $50,819 and $51,460. However, one of the highest paying school districts was Union County's Westfield Town. Teachers in the school district started out getting paid $57,289 a year.
Teacher Salaries by Classroom Level
Median hourly wages that preschool teachers earned in New Jersey were $14.35 an hour as of May 2009, according to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Teachers who taught preschool-age children earned $33,770 a year. Kindergarten and elementary teachers earned $59,210 and $60,860 a year respectively. Continuing through higher grade levels, New Jersey trended toward paying teachers who taught older students more. For example, middle school and secondary teachers earned $62,060 and $65,420 a year respectively.
Job Opportunities
Even with continued focus on education, jobs for teachers are only expected to grow as fast as average compared to other career fields. The bureau expects teacher jobs across the country to grow by about 13 percent from 2008 through 2018. Teachers who demonstrate a willingness to work in urban and rural areas can give themselves greater chances of landing employment in New Jersey classrooms and around the country.
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