Are Merced County teachers paid enough? See the average pay for every school district
Average teacher pay in California public schools rose to $82,746 last school year, an increase of 2.6 percent from the prior year, new state data show.
Teacher pay was highest in Silicon Valley’s Mountain View-Los Altos Union High school district, where teachers earned, on average, about $136,500. A teacher making that salary still likely could not afford the median-priced home in Mountain View, which sold for about $1.7 million late last year, according to tracking firm Zillow.com.
More than a dozen very small districts in rural areas of California paid their teachers, on average, less than $50,000 last school year. Among districts employing at least 100 teachers, the lowest average pay was about $57,400 at Plumas Unified. The median-priced home in Plumas County sold for about $276,000 late last year, according to Zillow.
Of the 21 Merced County school districts, teachers at Merced City Elementary received the highest average pay in 2018-19 at $92,744. The district employed 501 teachers. Weaver Union came in next highest at $88,496 for 154 teachers.
Merced County teachers were paid lowest at Plainsburg Union Elementary, where the average teacher salary was $49,256 in 2018-19. Only five teachers were employed by the district. Merced River Union Elementary was next lowest with an average of $56,568 for 10 teachers.
Three Merced school districts saw average salaries drop between 2017-18 and 2018-19. Le Grand Union Elementary fell from $73,959 to $71,902, McSwain Elementary from $73,384 to $72,883 and Atwater Elementary fell slightly from $78,946 to $78,647.
Most average Merced County school district teacher salaries paid in the $70,000 range.
In Los Banos Unified, teachers salaries averaged $84,937 in 2018-19, an increase from $68,499 in 2013-14. The district employed 488 teachers in 2018-19. In Livingston Union Elementary District, which has around 119 teachers, salaries averaged at $83,522 in 2018-19, compared to $73,644 in 2013-14.
Statewide, average teacher pay increased by about 16 percent between 2013-14 and 2018-19. By comparison, inflation rose about 8 percent during that time period.
Average teacher pay depends on a number of factors, not just the relative generosity or stinginess of a community’s school board. Pay usually increases with seniority, so a district with a preponderance of veteran teachers would tend to pay more on average than a district with a lot of inexperienced teachers. Cost of living also plays a role, as districts located in expensive communities must pay more to attract talent.
For a full list of teacher salaries in Merced County and statewide, visit www.mercedsunstar.com.
Phillip Reese is the Bee’s data specialist and teaches at Sacramento State: 916-321-1137.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
