Teacher salaries impact the types of educators working in schools

This study is the first to estimate the impact of teacher pay on the experience levels of teachers applying for jobs in public schools. The researcher examined data on teachers with bachelor’s degrees who worked in 165 Texas school districts between 1995 and 2012. He found that districts can target teachers of a certain experience level by altering their salary schedules. “Overall, a 1 percent increase in base salary for teachers of a particular experience level increases the proportion of the targeted teachers hired by 0.04–0.08 percentage points.” The researcher recommended giving newer teachers larger raises than veteran educators. “This more efficient salary schedule reduces a district’s payroll costs while it retains more teachers, who gain in experience and productivity over time …”