PSEA is a community of education professionals who make a difference in the lives of students every day.
Teachers who earn less than $45,000 have a median salary that is nearly 13 percent less than Pennsylvanians with bachelor’s degrees statewide. Teachers who earn less than $45,000 with master’s degrees have median salaries 33 percent lower than Pennsylvanians with master’s degrees statewide.
There is a growing demand for teachers in Pennsylvania, and fewer young people are entering the profession. The number of college students completing Pennsylvania teacher prep programs dropped by 32 percent between 2013-14 and 2017-18. And the number of Instructional I certificates issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education dropped by 74 percent between 2012-13 and 2018-19.
Increasing the minimum teacher salary can help stop this growing teacher shortage.
A lot has changed in the education profession since 1989.
This is a top priority for PSEA because no teacher or college faculty member — people in our most challenging and important professions who have earned bachelor’s and, in many cases, master’s degrees — should be paid less than other Pennsylvanians. The people who educate our children shouldn’t struggle to make ends meet. And the best way to explain this to lawmakers is to tell the stories of real people who have real financial struggles because Pennsylvania’s minimum teacher and faculty salaries are too low. If you have a story, click to share it below — and PSEA will help you tell it.
