Posted on: Thursday, July 15, 2004

Average teacher wage fell here in 2002-03

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer

The average teacher salary in Hawai'i fell 3.5 percent during the 2002-2003 school year, one of the biggest declines in the nation, according to the American Federation of Teachers.

In an annual teacher salary survey released today, the teachers' union put the state's average teacher salary 21st in the nation at $42,768, down from 17th during the previous school year. The union estimates that the decline was likely caused by older teachers retiring and being replaced by newer teachers who earned less.

The decline in Hawai'i came as the average teacher salary nationally rose 3.3 percent, to $45,771, the union reported. California had the highest average salary at $55,693. South Dakota had the lowest average salary at $32,414.

The ranking for Hawai'i is similar to a report by the rival National Education Association, which in May put the state at 20th in the nation at $44,464 for the 2002-2003 school year. But the NEA said that the average teacher salary actually increased and moved the state up one spot from 21st in the nation.

The conflicting figures illustrate the shortcomings of local conclusions based on national reports. But educators and lawmakers in Hawai'i use these salary rankings in contract negotiations and in political debates on education policy.

Last summer, the AFT provided average teacher salary rankings that were adjusted for the cost of living, and Hawai'i salaries fell to the bottom nationwide. No cost-of-living-adjusted sal-aries were released by the union today, but Hawai'i educators said the state's high cost of living does influence recruiting.

The DOE has had to recruit more than 1,400 new teachers in each of the past several years because of retirement and turnover, and many come from the Mainland, where the competition for teachers has grown.

"Just common sense tells you that this is a very expensive place to live," said Joan Husted, the executive director for the Hawai'i State Teachers Association. "We really have a ways to go to make salaries competitive in Hawai'i."

The AFT survey found that Hawai'i ranked seventh in the nation for new teacher pay in the 2002-2003 school year, at $34,000, a 6.3 percent increase from the year before.

This year, teachers and the state agreed to a new contract that bumps new teacher salaries to $36,486. Teachers at the top scale get $66,203. The contract covers the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.