Teachers Union Reps Explain School Report Pay Rate Changes

Last month, Patch reported that the indicated an increase in average teacher salary for the 2009-2010 school year. Springfield union representatives said the changes could be attributed to pregnancies and higher education.

Union reps said that the teachers didn’t see across-the-board increases in their paychecks that year. The statistical rise in teacher salary, they said, was due to other factors.

 The previous year’s average pay was artificially lowered. Springfield Education Association President and Candice Schiano said an anomalously large number of teachers were out on maternity leave in the previous school year. The teachers filling in for them were lower in pay-scale than the permanent teachers they were temporarily replacing.

As a result, average teacher salary went down that year; the increase in 2009-2010, Schiano said, was in part a correction from an artificial low from the previous year.

The other reason Schiano gave for the 2009-2010 increase was a spike in teachers receiving advance degrees, with 20 faculty members in Springfield receiving degree changes. Teacher pay rises when they receive advance degrees in subjects approved by the school board, who decide if teachers can pursue the degrees if it will be a benefit to the school district.

Schiano and SEA union Vice President Sheri Scheckman said studies included instruction on integrating technology into classrooms.

They emphasized that having teachers continue their education has a positive impact on classrooms.

“With those advanced degrees, we are learning new programs and expanding our knowledge in our field,” Scheckman said.