Georgia implements its differential pay program for math and science teachers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Georgia has implemented its differential pay program for math and science teachers despite continuing budget difficulties. The program pays new math and science teachers the same salary as a sixth-year teacher receives in other subjects. This gives a starting differential of just under $5,000 per year. (Thanks to Christine Johnson at FCR-STEM for pointing out this article)
Georgia has a statewide teacher salary schedule, and this makes it possible to implement such a program. For a comparison of the Georgia statewide schedule to schedules for several Florida counties, look at this post from January.
Florida statute has authorized differential pay for math and science teachers for many years, but to my knowledge not a single Florida district has implemented it. The new law on teacher quality and compensation (SB 736) also includes language authorizing salary supplements for math and science teachers. No word yet on whether any school district has included it in new compensation programs.
It is safe to say – based on the experience in Florida – that differential pay for math and science teachers cannot happen where teacher salary schedules are determined by collective bargaining. After all, where differential pay is implemented most teachers are left behind. The AJC article reports that Tim Callahan, spokesperson for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, said about the differential pay plan, “What are we saying to our reading and social studies teachers?
Update (Thursday, 6:00 am): Ron Matus at Gradebook posted on this issue yesterday. The comments on the Gradebook post may have been representative of the larger teaching profession and are useful to reproduce here:
“Here’s a novel idea. Raise all teacher pay by 7-10 K and watch how much competition there is for teaching jobs…….you’ll get the best of the best in ALL areas.”
“Differential pay can and does happen where salaries are determined by collective bargaining, the state just has to give the districts enough general revenue funds (which they don’t) to it.”
June 30, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Too bad that ““What are we saying to our reading and social studies teachers?” rhetorical question wasn’t in the Gradebook blog.
What they are saying, of course, is that HS social science teachers are a dime a dozen. (I left out reading because, IMHO, the ability to teach remedial reading to HS students is a rare gift and might even be a shortage area.) Just compare the SS ed requirements at FSU (only 9 hours at the 3000 level) and the Physics ed requirements (calculus, physics, and chemistry before you even get to the major requirements).
You probably have access to college data that would tell you how the pass rates compare between those 3000 level history classes and the prerequisite science classes. I’ll only add that the prerequisites for physical science education will also get you into the UF engineering college. That sets the pay scale for that skill set.
But pay is only part of the equation, despite what that commenter said on Gradebook. That bump would get you into the territory where a HS job would compete with the starting salary for a CC history professor position, but the working conditions and general respect accorded teachers in HS would be unlikely to draw many applications from the many unemployed people with MA degrees in the various social sciences.
January 20, 2012 at 1:05 pm
[...] Georgia has implemented a similar program. New teachers in math and science earn starting salaries $4,700 above new teachers in other subjects. Differential pay was easier to implement in Georgia than it would be in Florida because Georgia has a statewide salary schedule. [...]
April 19, 2012 at 11:10 am
[...] the starting salary issue impacts the recruiting of high school physics teachers as well. Even Georgia’s new differential pay program may be just a start. Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. Explore posts in the same [...]