Chance of Hamilton County teacher pay raise iffy

Students work on a writing exercise during Dr. Katie Hawkins' sixth grade literature class at Brown Middle School on November 18, 2013. Dr. Hawkins' students wrote Bi-Lo letters after noticing spelling and grammar errors at the local grocery store.
Students work on a writing exercise during Dr. Katie Hawkins' sixth grade literature class at Brown Middle School on November 18, 2013. Dr. Hawkins' students wrote Bi-Lo letters after noticing spelling and grammar errors at the local grocery store.

Hamilton County's public school teachers didn't get a raise this year. Leaders, including the county teachers' union president, the county school superintendent and Tennessee's governor, agree teachers deserve a pay hike.

The average pay of teachers in Hamilton County -- the fourth most-populous county in Tennessee -- ranks as low as 31st in the state or as high as 10th, depending on how it's calculated and whether benefits are factored in.

WEIGHTED SALARY EXPLAINED

Because school teachers often have varying degrees of experience and may have additional degrees, the weighted average salary helps provide an apples-to-apples comparison of pay across districts, state officials say. If the state just used the average mean salary, the numbers would be inflated in districts that have a large number of teachers with additional years of experience and levels of education. On the flip side, the mean salary would be lower if a district has a lot of first-year teachers. The weighted average makes teacher experience and education levels the same for the sake of generating a number to compare across districts, state officials say. To calculate the weighted average, state officials multiply the percentage of teachers statewide who are on each step of the schedule by the dollar value paid at the respective step of that particular school district's salary schedule. For example, 4.4 percent of teachers statewide have a bachelor's degree and zero years experience. For each of the school districts, the state would then multiply 4.4 percent (.044) by the amount on their salary schedule for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and zero experience. Using statewide averages of teacher population with respective degrees and experience, the state ends up with 150 cells (five degree lanes and 30 years' experience) whose percentage totals 100 percent. The state then adds all 150 values in each district to arrive at a district's weighted average salary.Source: Ashley Ball, deputy director of communications for the Tennessee Department of EducationTEACHER PAY IN REGIONAL SCHOOLS Here's how average annual teacher pay in Hamilton County compares to that in surrounding areas and their ranking among 136 school systems statewide. Figures are from 2012-2013.25. Cleveland City $50,08226. Bradley County $49,84629. McMinn County $49,06030. Meigs County $48,91231. Hamilton County $48,76239. Polk County $47,66954. Coffee County $46,31460. Marion County $46,08267. Etowah City $45,72780. Dayton City $45,17485. Bledsoe County $45,08587. Rhea County $45,057102. Sequatchie Co. $44,739112. Richard City SSD $44,203123. Grundy County $43,446TOP, BOTTOM RANKINGS Of Tennessee's 136 school systems, here are those ranked at the top and bottom for average annual teacher pay for 2012-2013.1. Alcoa City $61,6952. Oak Ridge City $61,1653. Shelby County $60,5414. Maryville City $59,0915. Memphis City $58,79731. Hamilton County $48,762132. McNairy County $42,678133. Scott County $42,313134. H-Rock-Bruceton SSD $42,063135. Fayette County $41,367136. Lake County $40,998Source: Tennessee Education AssociationBREAKDOWNHamilton County weighted salary average:2014: $48,391State ranking: 152004: $40,397Hamilton County weighted insurance average:2014: $10,042State ranking: 3 Hamilton County weighted salary plus insurance:2014: $58,432State ranking: 102004: $45,454Source: Tennessee Department of EducationMedian Hamilton County household income, 2009-2013: $46,702Median household income, Tennessee, 2009-2013: $44,298Source U.S. Census Bureau


Annual teacher salaries

2013-14 (estimated):
Alabama: $50,604
Georgia: $55,420
Tennessee: $50,355
Source: National Education Association

Annual pay for the Hamilton County Department of Education starts at $36,044 for a teacher with no experience and a bachelor's degree and tops out at $63,247 for a teacher with 25 years' experience and a Ph.D.

The state teachers union wants Gov. Bill Haslam to budget a 6 percent raise next year to fulfill last year's pledge to make Tennessee the fastest-growing state for teacher pay.

"We're at a historically flat time for teachers' salaries," said Jim Wrye, the Tennessee Education Association's government relations manager and chief lobbyist. The 6 percent raise that the union seeks would cost the state around $120 million, Wrye said.

But it remains to be seen whether a raise will materialize. Haslam hasn't committed, and Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Rick Smith is waiting to see how the governor's budget shakes out.

photo Rick Smith, Hamilton County schools superintendent, talks in this file photo.

"We want to be the fastest-improving state in the U.S. when it comes to teacher pay," Haslam said in October 2013, citing what his office said were three consecutive years of growth in Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test results. Students had the largest TCAP gains in Tennessee history, Haslam's office said then, with roughly 91,000 additional students on grade level in math and roughly 50,000 more students on grade level in science.

Haslam proposed a 2 percent raise for Tennessee teachers that would have been in effect this year. But he dropped the pay hike after state tax revenue fell $300 million short of projections.

During an editorial board meeting Tuesday with the Times Free Press, Haslam wouldn't guarantee that he would revive his proposed teachers' raise.

"I can't promise at this point," Haslam said. "But I can tell you it's a priority as we get our budgets together."

Even if Haslam does propose a raise in January for Tennessee's teachers, he declined to say what percentage increase he would seek from the Tennessee General Assembly.

Smith, at public meetings, has shared his vision to have the best school system in the South. He said that includes attracting the best teachers through competitive pay and benefits.

"We'll have to look at the governor's annual budget in January," Smith said. "The budget announcement will drive that conversation."

The Hamilton County Education Association, the local teachers union, "absolutely" wants teachers here to get a raise, HCEA President Sandy Hughes said.

"Our teachers are grossly underpaid," Hughes said. "It's such a mobile society, you're not going to keep well-educated individuals working [here] for nothing."

The HCEA just won all the seats at the table in the new collaborative conferencing process that replaces collective bargaining, and pay is one of the issues that can be negotiated in the memorandum of understanding that results from the talks.

By one measure, teachers in Hamilton County rank 31st in average pay. That's according to the TEA, the state teachers union, which compiled a list of the average salaries of licensed educators for 2012-2013.

Calculated another way, Hamilton County teachers' pay ranks higher, according to figures from the Tennessee Department of Education.

The department uses a "weighted average" that factors in all the different "steps" for teachers' pay, based on their education and experience. Teachers with more education and experience get higher pay than beginners, and state officials say the weighted average give a more accurate picture. Because, for example, a high-paying district might have a lot of new teachers, which would make its average pay look low.

"The weighted average salary helps provide an apples-to-apples comparison of pay across districts," said Ashley Ball, deputy director of communications for the state education department. "The weighted average makes teacher experience and education levels the same for the sake of generating a number to compare across districts."

The Hamilton County Department of Education has 25 pay steps, said Christie Jordan, the school district's director of accounting and budgeting.

"The steps are different for every district in the state," Jordan said.

Looking at weighted averages, Hamilton County teachers were paid $48,391 in 2014, which gives the district a state ranking of 15th among Tennessee's 136 public school districts.

Also, the state says that Hamilton County teachers' weighted insurance benefits are worth $10,042 annually, third best in the state. Add those two together, and the teachers' benefit package here in 2014 totals $58,432, which is the 10th best.

Hamilton County teachers are paid for 201 days' work, which includes paid holidays, vacation and professional training, Jordan said. Most Americans are paid on a 260-day schedule, including holidays and vacations, since 52 weeks times five days of work equals 260 days.

Compared to Hamilton County, beginning teachers start out at lower pay in Catoosa and Walker counties in Georgia -- but experienced teachers earn more.

At Catoosa County Schools, the lowest-paid beginning teacher makes $32,469 annually. But teacher pay at the Ringgold, Ga.-based school district tops out at $74,990 for experienced teachers with advanced degrees. Walker Schools teachers' pay starts at $30,830 annually and peaks at $71,967.

Some Hamilton County teachers choose to leave Tennessee for jobs in Georgia, Hughes said.

"They do, when there's available jobs in Georgia," she said.

Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomar zu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/tim.omarzu or twitter.com/TimOmarzu or 423-757-6651.

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