Introduction
A teacher’s database for their compensation is a significant component to fit the State information systems for education (Aldridge, 2007). The module is an examination of Alabama’s teachers’ salaries and making a clear comparison with that of other states in addition to an overview of the general US teachers’ salaries for the financial year 2011/2012. It is however, difficult to make teacher’s salaries comparison has every state pay its teachers under various conditions and considerations. Since the cost of living in US differs from state to state the annual salary that a teacher receives is not a good measure for making salary comparisons for teachers from different states. Various states also defer in defining and reporting teachers’ average salary in addition to database procedures followed by different states, are other barriers to effective of comparison of teachers’ salaries around US states.
In reference to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), 2012 salaries for starting teaches averaged at $35,672 per year. The year was not that successful for teachers in terms of salaries. During this year the average salary for a starting teacher in the State of Alabama was $36,201 per annum. This is an above average salary for teachers from Alabama meaning that at 2011/2012 fiscal year teachers from Alabama received salaries higher than their fellow colleagues in the profession. The starting salary for teachers in District of Columbia is $51,539, New Jersey $ 48,101 and in New York $ 44,370. These are the leading states in the payment scale for teachers. Teachers from South Dakota, Missouri and Montana are the lowly paid, with salaries of $ 29,308, $ 29,857 and $ 26, 734 respectively (ATF, 2012).
It is vital noting that the data collected above can tell less about the living standards of teachers in the US in reflection to the standards of living of teachers in Alabama.
This is due to the earlier stated difference in status of living in various states one of them being Alabama. Alabama for instance is among the states that their cost of living falls below the national level of 92.3. The Alabama’s index is at 92.4. Alabama’s cost of real estate property is low than some other states meaning that Alabama’s civil servants have access to low priced and of high quality houses than teachers from the District of Columbia or other states with higher priced housing services (Hughes, 2012). In addition to the real estate cost factor, the no income tax policy that is takes effect on salaries of teachers’ from Alabama is another factor behind salary difference of this State in reference to other States. This is ha significant driver of the cost of living of the teachers and other civil servants from Alabama hence low salaries. This means that teachers from Alabama receive their salaries intact.
In comparing salaries of teachers between States it is important to take into account the various vagaries of living that every individual pursues in their state of residence. Cost of living alone is not enough and neither are the statistics as it is observable that though teachers from Alabama are subject to equal benefits, their salaries still differ across the State. Despite this difference, the standards of living within Alabama still remain the same. The difference is as key reflection that teachers from some parts of Alabama receive favorable benefits than others (ADE, 2012).
References
Aldridge, J., & Goldman, R. L. (2007). Current issues and trends in education. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Moulthrop, D., Calegari, N. C., & Eggers, D. (2005). Teachers have it easy: The big sacrifices and small salaries of America's teachers. New York: New Press.
Hughes,M. (2012). Acomparison of State teacher pay scales. New York. Harper & Row.
Alabama Department of Education (ADE). (2012). Alabama Department of Education Report. Alabama. New York: New Press.
American Teachers Federation (ATF). (2012). Teachers Salary Scale 2012. ATF
http://www.alsde.edu/home/Default.aspx
http://www.aft.org/
