Nevada 19th in teacher pay

Education advocates have long urged more money for public schools, arguing that Nevada is 47th or worse in per pupil spending.

But Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, caught the attention of some in the Legislature earlier this week when he pointed out the state is 19th " a much higher ranking " in the average teacher's salary.

According to the most recent study by the American Federation of Teachers, the average teacher wage in Nevada was $49,426 in the 2006-07 school year. According to the Legislative Counsel Bureau's 2009 Fiscal Report, the average salary for Nevada teachers this year is $52,497.

California reported the highest average teacher pay at $63,640. South Dakota was lowest in the nation at $35,378.

Teachers have long made the case their profession needs significant pay raises to reach national averages. To make the point, they cite base starting wages for teachers, which average just over $34,000.

But a top scale teacher with a master's degree " and fully half of Nevada teachers have one " averages $68,125 in salary, according to data published by the state Department of Education.

That figure was calculated using current pay schedules for the state's 17 counties and doesn't count the value of benefits teachers receive, which are worth 34 percent over and above the salary. When that figure is added to the salary received, the total value of compensation for a veteran teacher with a master's degree exceeds $90,000 a year.

Teachers earn their pay in a 180-day school year. The average wage earner with two weeks vacation and about five paid holidays a year works 245 days a year.

While several lawmakers contacted about the pay scales pointed to the top end salaries and the number of days worked each year, none wanted to be quoted for this story.

Advanced degrees equal higher pay

Lynne Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association, said that 180-day schedule doesn't mean teachers are on vacation nearly three months a year. She said most of the younger teachers have second jobs to help with mortgage payments or are taking classes to improve their skills and work their way up the pay ladder.

The pay scales in all 17 school districts are based not only on experience but education, so advanced degrees and additional classes all result in higher pay.

A number of lawmakers have recognized over the years that starting pay must be increased. But some, like Raggio, want to compress the gap between the top and the bottom of the pay scale.

Warne said the union's thrust has been to raise starting pay because Nevada school districts are having so much trouble hiring new teachers.

"If you don't have decent starting pay, you have difficulty attracting good teachers," she said.

She said Nevada districts lose half of new teachers in the first five years.

But Warne said the top end of the pay scale is also important.

"You want to make sure they stay in the field," she said. "We lose veteran teachers because they move on to other jobs."

She said that often happens because those veterans are "topped out" in pay. She said some of them change careers altogether or leave for jobs in the university system, which pay significantly more.

If the system were changed to restrict those at the top from getting raises when those lower on the pay scale do, Warne said the districts would lose more of them.

Those teachers, she said, are not only those considered highly qualified but the ones who mentor the new teachers and maintain quality in the schools.

Majority leader: Reform needed

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said he would like to see starting pay for teachers raised to $40,000. He has also made it clear he doesn't think the school system is doing a good job now, that schools are letting Nevada students down.

Teachers need to be held accountable for their performance, Horsford has said, and "pay for performance" would reward the teachers who most deserve it.

Horsford drew criticism from Warne for remarks he made during the debate on implementing the voter-backed room tax increase in Washoe and Clark counties. He said on the floor that he, like some other senators, was disappointed the teachers wrote that initiative to focus the use of the money on teacher pay raises.

He said Friday that criticism won't stop him from seeking education reform to improve the performance of Nevada's schools.

- Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.