Teachers earned an average annual salary of $47,602 in 2004-05鈥攁n increase of 2.2 percent over the previous year, according to an annual survey released last week by the American Federation of Teachers.
But the increase fell short of the rate of inflation, which was 3.4 percent that year, according to the survey of beginning and average teacher salaries.
The state with the highest teacher pay that year was Connecticut, where beginning teachers were paid some $39,259, and the average teacher salary was $57,760. North Dakota paid the lowest salary for beginning teachers, $24,872, while South Dakota paid the lowest average salary of $34,039.
The AFT report calls for increasing teacher salaries by 30 percent by the end of the decade鈥攁n additional investment of $15 billion per year鈥攖o make teacher pay competitive with salaries in other professions.
The report examines the impact of housing costs and student loans on teachers in the nation鈥檚 50 largest cities. In many, it says, the median-priced home is well out of the reach of experienced teachers with master鈥檚 degrees.
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