6-Figure Salaries?
6-Figure Salaries? To Many Teachers, a Matter of Course
Published: June 5, 2005
THE hiring of a public school teacher in Scarsdale, one of the most sought-after districts in the nation, begins with a flood of applications and can take months.
"You can earn $100,000 and not afford to live here."
—SUSAN TAYLOR, Scarsdale teacher
"Our taxes are high, but our education is superior."
—ELLEN COHEN, Scarsdale parent
A careful screening of credentials winnows 80 or 90 applications to about 15, who then get probing telephone calls from the department chief. A half-dozen are invited for interviews. Two or three of those are asked to demonstrate their teaching prowess in the classroom before the lucky survivor is offered a job.
"This has to be someone who has an interest in the larger issues of teaching, with an inquisitive mind, a person of tolerance and openness," said Christopher Douglass, the English department chairman at Scarsdale High School, emphasizing that he "immediately discounts" any applicant who mentions an interest in a large salary.
But this noble sensibility ignores a crucial fact about the teaching profession in Westchester County: Teacher pay levels in Scarsdale, and several other districts in the county, are now high enough to constitute an entry ticket to upper-middle-class income and status. In Scarsdale, 166 teachers - nearly half - have base salaries exceeding $100,000; for more than a dozen, base pay tops $120,000.
A study of teacher salaries across New York State found that as administrators and affluent parents compete to give their children every possible advantage, thousands of teachers in the New York suburbs now make six-figure salaries - numbers strongly at variance with the popular stereotype of the poorly paid, altruistic mentor of the young.
The study indicates that only the most experienced teachers, with the most education, earn such salaries - which are the highest in the nation. But the money is arguably substantial enough to affect what it means to be a public school teacher. Consider this, for instance: A family whose parents both teach in Westchester schools can make enough to put it in the top 6 percent of earners in the county.
Teachers say the salaries are justified, even necessary, in a place where the cost of living is high. "You can earn $100,000 and not afford to live here," said Susan Taylor, a longtime Scarsdale teacher who heads the district's teacher training institute.
And in fact the rising salaries have not really made waves in Westchester, because in many communities they have arrived in tandem with rising property values - which softens the effect of school district budget increases.
The average home in Scarsdale, for instance, sold for $1.4 million in 2004, and the average income per pupil in the schools was more than $500,000 in 2002, five times that in the rest of the state.
"Our taxes are high, but our education is superior," said Ellen Cohen, 53, who has a daughter at Scarsdale High School. "It doesn't bother me that teachers do so well."
She is one of many Scarsdale homeowners who, like those in other affluent communities around New York, based their choice of suburb on the reputation of the schools. For these parents, the relationship between good schools and good neighborhoods is symbiotic.
"I would not have moved to Hartsdale or Eastchester, because of the reputation of the schools," Ms. Cohen said. "We live in Scarsdale for different reasons, but one of those is the education is excellent."
IN Westchester, the study found 1,074 teachers - 1 of every 9 - who made more than $100,000 in the 2003-04 school year, the most recent for which data are available. (That total excludes Yonkers, whose teachers have worked without a contract for the last two years. The state does not collect salary data in districts where salary issues remain unresolved.)
The number of six-figure base salaries tripled between 2001 and 2003; among those in that earning bracket are 223 elementary teachers, 39 kindergarten teachers and 61 physical education teachers. Base salaries do not include stipends for extra duties like coaching and directing plays, which can add thousands.
With combined step and cost-of-living increases, the median salary of a Westchester teacher who had 10 years' experience and a master's degree in 2001 had advanced 5 percent a year by 2003, a time when other salaries in the Northeast went up about 3 percent a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In May, Scarsdale's school budget passed without controversy, and by 73 percent, even more overwhelmingly than the year before. The school board president, Jeff Samuelson, believes there is a consensus in his community to attract and pay for the best teachers.
Scarsdale High School, where nearly half the teachers have base salaries exceeding $100,000.
"One group this year said, 'We understand we are the leader but we don't want to get too far out in front of No. 2,' " Mr. Samuelson said. Other than that, he said, "we don't hear that much about teacher salaries."
Similarly in White Plains, where a substantial commercial tax base keeps residential taxes low, a quarter of teachers (151) make more than $100,000, with little taxpayer complaint.
"Our teachers are our best asset," said Donna O. McLaughlin, the White Plains school board president. "I think it's very important that we pay them well. You need to be competitive."
She acknowledges that deep pockets help. "We are very fortunate," she said. "We have a lot of industry that helps pay the taxes, so the taxes in White Plains are nowhere near what they are in nearby areas."
Six-figure teachers are not unique to the New York suburbs. Connecticut and New Jersey reported a few dozen in 2003. In the Chicago suburbs, state records show that hundreds of teachers make six figures when all their extra stipends are figured in.
But they have not been universally adopted, by any means. The top base salary for New York City teachers is $81,232 (although some make six figures with stipends and overtime). In California, the highest teacher salary in 2003 was well under $100,000, according to state figures.
In the state, Scarsdale was among the first to have teachers reach six-figure salaries, starting in the late 1990's. "It's been a conscious strategy of this district over a lot of years to be among the leaders in salary," said Michael McGill, the superintendent.
The pay raises quickly appeared in other districts in Westchester and Long Island as administrators competed for talent. Now, 29 of the county's 41 districts have teachers making six figures.
Most are in their early 50's, and have advanced degrees and 25 years of experience. Contracts are structured to reward for longevity. Median salary for a teacher with one year of experience in Scarsdale was about $50,000 in 2003. Each year of experience brings a step up in salary, and extra hours in seminars at the teaching institute earn additional raises. The top salary in Scarsdale for a teacher who spends no more than 20 percent of his time as a department head or other administrator was $128,000 in 2003.
"The community wants stability and experience," said Ms. Taylor. "There's a lot invested in the retention of a good teacher."
THE less wealthy districts, meanwhile, struggle to compete in the expensive suburban market. In Mount Vernon, where the property values per student are one-fifth those of Scarsdale, no teacher had a base salary over $100,000 in 2003, although the top salary of a full-time teacher came close, at $96,000.
Mount Vernon - most of whose students are black - is not poor except by Westchester standards. Although its test scores rose dramatically this year, they are still far below Scarsdale's.
Brenda L. Smith, the superintendent, worries about being able to deliver a competitive education to students in a place where teacher costs are so high.
"We really have a need to be comparable to other districts in terms of the quality we get, but our district is lower in terms of resources," Ms. Smith said. "We compete on job satisfaction. People come to Mount Vernon to make a difference in the lives of children."
She added, "It's a compliment to our teachers, who are willing to work in Mount Vernon for less than they could make in neighboring towns."
John Larkin, a teacher at Mount Vernon High School with 32 years' experience and two master's degrees, also emphasized satisfactions other than financial. "This is not an easy job, it's an extraordinarily exhausting job," he said, as he watched his girls' softball team take batting practice. "But it offers you an opportunity to be creative, and how many jobs really do that? Working with young people can be quite challenging, but it can also be quite invigorating."
Mr. Larkin lives in Eastchester, between Mount Vernon and Scarsdale, and works as a coach and during summers, he said, because of "economic realities."
The day before a recent game against Scarsdale, his team had to practice without seven of its players, who were staying after school for academic work.
"Scarsdale is a challenge to us," he said. He was hopeful, even though his team had lost twice, 10-1. "They were not that overpowering. Our girls hit their pitcher pretty well."
Mount Vernon lost again, this time by 21-2.
SO far, there has been little evidence of a backlash against school costs in Westchester. Only six budgets were defeated last month.
But one of those was in Edgemont, a rich district next to Scarsdale. Salaries are high in Edgemont, and Jack Vaughan, 70, a lawyer and Edgemont homeowner who organized opposition to the budget this year, argued that salaries, among other costs, have become too high.
"I would say when you combine the salaries and the perks, that they are probably being overcompetitive," said Mr. Vaughan. "We're willing to pay for good teachers, but not unreasonably so."
But Mr. Douglass, the Scarsdale teacher, couldn't disagree more. While he may discount someone who mentions salary in the interview process, he believes it does attract the best people.
"I have to tell you," he said, "six figures is a pretty minimal amount for Scarsdale. These are people's children. Our culture values salaries and the salaries should be an important reward for all this hard work."
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