thoughts on teacher salaries
September 8, 2006
Bridgewater
Raynham
Easton
East Bridgewater
West Bridgewater
Massachusetts
Legislation & Politics
USA
Legislation & Politics
World
Education
Bridgewater-Raynham Schools
Massachusetts
USA
Archives (past stories)
Opinion/Analysis
Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
I have often spoken about how teacher salaries for Bridgewater-Raynham have gotten ahead of the communities' ability to afford, and are rebuffed by arguments that the teacher layoffs a couple years ago are the reason for B-R being at the top of the list. So, I decided to take another look at the numbers. The Dept of Ed has some good info that all can see - DOE statistics here.
The data begins with the 1997 fiscal (or school) year. Bridgewater-Raynham had an average teacher salary of $51,734 vs. $42,874 as a state-wide average. That placed B-R at position 9 out of about 330 school systems. Stepping through the years, one can see B-R at 8, 25, 26, 61, 1, 33, 25 and 11. That last 11 was the rank in 2005 (last year available); and also showed B-R with an average salary of $64,186 vs. $54,701 for the State.
This disproves the argument of 'a recent anamoly', as for every year except one, B-R teachers have been in the top 10% of the State. Call it what it is -- Bridgewater-Raynham teachers are very well paid. For 2006-07, top base salary is $78,828. Longevity pay can add $600-$2000 additional, or $6000 if 'Lexington Plan' is selected. There is also an "Early Retirment Incentive", and salaries for extracurricular and sports (range from an additional $561 to $7650). Teachers devoting time for these groups is important; it is just also important to note that as all of these items add up, total annual compensation can easily exceed $80,000 per year - and very often does.
