on August 20, 2025, 16:40:34, in reply to "BTW, not that I have done a ton of research but those numbers seem inflated."
Previous Message
Illinois Policy Inst is traditionally a very conservative organization. But when I do some quick searches, it seems national teacher salary averages are more in the Mid-60K range. Those numbers do tend to jump around based on new teachers w/lower salaries replacing expensive retirees. But 86K seems really high for CPS.
careeronestop.org (I was just looking to compare avg. salaries) actually ranked teachers as #336 on the ranking of "Highest Paying Careers".
Yes, we know the benefits. But that's not like folks are getting rich at #336. Previous Message
The average Chicago Public Schools teacher will see their salary increase to more than $114,000 by the 2027-2028 school year. Just the raises will cost Chicagoans up to $1.25 billion.
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The average teacher currently earns $86,439. That salary will jump by nearly one-third to $114,429 by the end of the upcoming contract – a nearly $28,000 raise in four years. (emphasis mine)
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In the new contract, CTU negotiated the elimination of multi-year steps, effectively granting teachers an additional seven years of extra pay bumps throughout their careers on top of their annual raises.
The effect of these additional raises beyond the cost-of-living adjustments are significant. During the upcoming contract, the average teacher will see their current salary increase by $27,990. Of that, $15,379 will be thanks to cost-of-living adjustments, while the other $12,611 will be because of step increases and seniority. (again, emphasis mine)
Teacher salaries have historically been one of the largest cost drivers of spending in the CPS budget. The increase in spending has not translated into better outcomes for students. Since 2012, spending has increased by 97%, but student proficiency in reading has declined by 63% and by 78% in math for grades 3-8.
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https://www.illinoispolicy.org/chicago-teachers-union-contract-bumps-average-teacher-from-86k-to-over-114k/
For me, higher pay but worse results should be viewed as absolute insanity. One man's opinion.
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