Title: Arizona’s teacher salaries rank among the lowest – Arizona Capitol Times
Headings: Arizona’s teacher salaries rank among the lowest
Arizona’s teacher salaries rank among the lowest
Content: Arizona’s teacher salaries rank among the lowest – Arizona Capitol Times
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Arizona’s teacher salaries rank among the lowest
By: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services October 6, 2014
If the ongoing political debates about education funding have not convinced you, a new study might: Arizona is the sixth worst place in the nation to be a teacher. The report by WalletHub says the average starting salary for teachers, listed as $31,874 for 2012-13 school year by the National Education Association, is the 44th lowest of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. And that ranking comes even after accounting for the lower cost of living here than many other places. It’s also not great for those who stay in the profession, the study says, with median salaries for all Arizona teachers at No. 48, also measured against the cost of living. The pupil-to-teacher ratio, listed at 21.3 according to the National Center for Education Statistics, is worse than anywhere but Utah and California. And it compared with a national average of 16.7. And WalletHub cites NEA figures showing that Arizona spends only about $1,250 per state resident on education.