- Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson is advocating for a $60,000 starting teacher salary
- Average teacher starting pay in Michigan ranks 45th in the nation
- The Michigan Education Association says pay should be raised but for all people who work in schools
The state’s largest teachers union is not fully on board with Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson’s proposal to combat Michigan’s teacher shortage by raising starting salaries to a minimum of $60,000.
That’s over $16,000 above the current average starting pay in Michigan.
Improving schools was one of Benson’s biggest promises during the election, and higher pay for teachers is a central plank of that plan.
Doug Pratt, a spokesperson for the Michigan Education Association, told Bridge Michigan the state is facing shortages for bus drivers and paraprofessionals too, and “it’s not just a question of starting salary.”
“As a state we need to increase compensation for every school employee, not just teachers.”
(Editor’s note: The MEA is a sponsor of the Education Watch newsletter. The union had no part in the production or editing of this story.)
Pratt said the union, whose president, Chandra Madafferi, is one of 15 leaders on Benson’s transition team, is committed to working with the incoming governor and the Legislature.
“It’s a challenging thing to figure this out financially,” he said.
Benson’s education plan advocates to “require starting teacher salaries of at least $60,000. This will be scaled up to provide additional compensation for experienced educators and staff commensurate with experience.” US Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has also called for a $60,000 minimum salary for teachers.
Related:
- Now, the hard part: Jocelyn Benson has big plans. Michigan has big problems
- Report: Funding, opportunity gaps hurting educational progress in Michigan
- Michigan is spending $150M on one-time ‘educator’ bonuses. Here’s how it works
Benson’s team did not respond to a request for comment about how much the effort would cost or where the funding would come from.
It’s unclear how much the proposal would cost to implement. But Jason Burns, a research specialist at the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, previously told Bridge it would take about $350 to $400 million to raise teacher pay in line with public opinion.
Public opinion polling shows people think teachers should start at $54,600 and average pay should be $71,445.
Nearly 72% of respondents in a different poll support increasing starting teachers salaries. About 66.9% of respondents support a statewide minimum teacher salary.
Burns told Bridge Thursday that details of a pay proposal matter but that a minimum teacher salary would likely raise pay for even teachers with some experience.
“When you consider that the average starting teacher salary in Michigan is just a hair over $43,000 right now, there are a lot of teachers who are already in classrooms, who are not brand new, who are not making $60,000.”
How Michigan schools pay teachers
While some states have set minimum teachers salaries, Benson’s proposal would be a departure from how things currently operate in Michigan, where local districts set teacher pay, class sizes and other working conditions with local teachers unions.
Districts rely on the state’s per-pupil funding to pay for employee wages and benefits.
“It would be a pretty significant insertion of state policy into an area for, that as long as Michigan schools have been around, has been a local decision,” said Michael Van Beek, vice president for research at the free-market think tank Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Michigan’s average starting teacher pay of $43,093 ranks 45th in the nation, according to the National Education Association.
The average teacher salary is $71,023 and ranks 22nd nationally, three spots lower than the year before.
“We’ve slid on the overall average down to the middle of the pack,” Pratt said.
“I think you’ve got to look at both: We’re definitely in the wrong place [on starting pay.] We’re moving in the wrong direction on the average.”
Experts also acknowledge that the cost of living varies across the state, meaning a $60,000 minimum pay has higher purchasing power in some parts of the state.
“If the state is saying we have to pay teachers a certain amount, then the state has to make sure the districts have the funds to do that,” said Jennifer Smith, director of government relations for Michigan Association of School Boards.
State leaders have agreed to provide $150 million toward bonuses but how much each educator gets depends on how many students are enrolled in a district, how many qualify for bonuses and how a district negotiates with its local union if there is one.
Other parts of Benson’ education plan include creating the “Michigan Education Guarantee,” which would “ensure a Michigan high school diploma means a student is college or career ready by creating a comprehensive, evidence-based statewide graduation standard.”
This guarantee is championed by Launch Michigan, a bipartisan nonprofit whose vice chair is MEA President Madafferi.
Van Beek said creating a state minimum would be “stepping into the territory that teachers unions typically have operated in.”
Some other states have set minimum teacher pay. Tennessee schools will have a $50,000 minimum teacher salary next school year, up from the current $35,000.
Van Beek said it’s important to remember that if districts increase pay, they will also be required to pay more into the public retirement system.
“Everyone might look at the bright shiny headline number, which is the salaries, but teacher compensation is broader than that,” said Craig Thiel, research director of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan,
In Arkansas, leaders raised the minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000 in 2023, with all teachers getting at least a $2,000 raise. Researchers found the raises significantly increased salaries in rural and high poverty districts and improved teacher retention. But researchers warn the effects of the policy will fade with time because of inflation.
But the law also created a voucher program.
“Not every law raising teacher salaries is a good one,” the National Education Association says on its website. “Some don’t come with adequate funding to help districts, especially rural ones, meet the new bars. Others are laden with poison pills.”
Pratt said rising healthcare costs, availability of retirement options, class sizes and student behaviors all need to be addressed.
“The details matter and now we’re moving past the statements of values 一which we agree with 一 to ‘alright, how do we implement it, how do we get this done,” he said.
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