Vermont teachers suffer 14% ‘wage penalty,’ study claims
By Guy Page
As many Vermont school districts prepare for the first day school this week, there are still 1,522 job openings in Vermont schools advertised on Schoolspring.com.
Of the first 20 listings, only five are teachers – and three of those positions are for special educators. Most of the postings are for admins and paraeducators, who who are paid less than teachers and are assigned to work with students needing extra help.
For example, Brattleboro schools will pay about $20/hour for aides with at least two years of college education to “directly support students receiving social/emotional instruction.”
School administrators clearly are making progress filling slots. The total number of unfilled positions is about half of the total listed two weeks ago.
The 802 Ed newsletter notes that the strongest hiring push is for part-time and substitute positions.
“Schools in Vermont are compensating in many ways for a job market that is largely stagnant, including what appears to be a state-wide shift from permanent positions to temporary substitute positions,” today’s 802 Ed says. “….The number of openings posted for substitute teachers, nurses, and other staff has increased dramatically in the same time period, up an average about 5 additional positions posted every day.”
Vermont Teachers pay 13.6% ‘wage penalty,’ study says – Vermont has the 22nd highest ‘wage penalty’ for teachers, according to a recent think-tank report.
The Economic Policy Institute recently published a report on the “teacher pay penalty,” a state-by-state measure of the difference between a teacher’s weekly wage and that of a college educated person who doesn’t work as a teacher, 802 Ed reports. Bottom of the list? Colorado with a 36% “penalty.”