Teacher Pay Flat at Insolvent Detroit Schools, But Union President's Pay Doubles

While teachers in the Detroit school district were working without a pay raise and their employer needed a state bailout to avoid bankruptcy, the president of their union saw her pay nearly double in just two years.

Ivy Bailey, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, was collecting a salary of $70,176 in 2013-14. By 2015-16, Bailey was getting $134,705, according to documents provided by the state of Michigan. Bailey’s salary raises were confirmed by the state’s Office of Retirement Services.

The average teacher salary in the Detroit school district was $63,716 in 2014-15, the most recent year for which salary information is available.

Bailey didn’t respond to an email seeking comment on her compensation.

Bailey is the interim president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers. She took over for former President Steve Conn, who was dismissed for misconduct by the union’s executive board.

It’s unclear if the union reimburses the Detroit district for any of Bailey’s public school salary. That has been the practice for the last three presidents of the state’s largest teachers union, with the effect of boosting these individuals’ state pensions.