Teacher Pay from far away: Las Vegas

I will be concentrating on pay in the New York metropolitan area, but a reader sent a link from Clark County, Nevada, so why not share it? Remember though, the cost of living is significantly lower there – their numbers and ours are not directly comparable.

2006-07 ANNUAL TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE

Class G (PhD) is cutting off on my screen. It is just Class F + $500.

Source: Clark County School District

(Notes from my correspondent, below the fold) —->

“CCSD is a huge, growing district that is reportedly the 5th largest school
district in the United States. The district has hired nearly 2,000
new teachers EACH YEAR for the past few years. Many of these
positions are because of the rapid growth of the community, but we do
seem to have a high turnover rate, too. It’s not a terrible place to
work, but there are better in the country. To attract more teachers,
starting Aug 2006, 1st year teachers to the district are now starting
on step 3. I guess that $3,000 extra is something. Okay… There is
also a $2,000 stipend for moving from out of state to Nevada.

“There is no state tax, the district pays into our state retirement
(must have 5 years to be vested), and we don’t pay into social
security.

“Many people are drawn to Las Vegas simply because they ARE hiring
teachers, unlike some areas in the mid-west that are laying off
teachers or pumping out more teachers in their universities than their
school systems can support. These teachers come here, get a few years
experience, and then go back to apply in their home states where they
have a better chance of getting hired because they have some
experience. I like to joke that when the district talks about the
“transiency rate” they are actually talking about the teachers.

“Our salary seems low, but as you know, if the cost of living is low,
it kind of evens out. The cost of living USED TO BE rather low here

“,0] ); D([“ce”]); //–>until the housing prices more than tripled in recent years. It’s a
big bone of contention here that our raises have not even begun to
touch the cost of living increases we’ve had to endure. And how can
brand new teachers afford to actually LIVE here on that salary?
That’s a BIG question. The district has tried to address housing
issues for new teachers, but their solutions only make small dents in
a big problem.

“So, there you go, for your interest and/or others.

” :-)