Editorial

Just a little bit off

Teacher salaries $30K higher than reported

In a story about Clarkston Community Schools contract negotiations with teachers, the Oakland Press erroneously reported what teachers earn in the district by about $30,000 a year. The article cites a salary of $38,087 for a bachelor’s degree and $41,802 for a master’s degree but doesn’t point out those are the salaries just for first-year teachers.

The story said:

"Under the previous contract, Clarkston teachers with a bachelor’s degree earned $38,087, and those with a master’s degree earned $41,802. All salaries and step advancements were frozen for the 2013-2014 school year, and individual insurance deductible were $2,000."

According to the federal government, the average salary for a public school teacher in 2012 was $61,560. However, teacher salaries vary by years of experience and education levels.

For the Record says: The average Clarkston Community Schools teacher’s salary is $68,968, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

That’s $30,000 more a year than the Oakland Press reported and more than $8,000 more than the average teacher’s salary in Michigan. According to the MDE, the average teacher’s salary in Michigan was $62,530 in 2012-13.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.