New Jersey – Newark boosts starting teacher pay to $62K

In an effort to plug a years-long teacher shortage aggravated by the Coronavirus pandemic, Newark public schools will boost starting pay by $8,000 this fall, or about 15%, the district and local union announced. The hike in starting pay to $62,000 a year for rookie teachers in the state’s largest school district is among several pay-related changes intended to attract new teachers and retain veterans.

The union and district renegotiated the pay increases under an existing contract that expires at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Without the increases, starting pay in September would have been $55,469, up from $54,000 in September 2021, according to the union. Officials said additional changes include raising pay for teachers already in the district to the new starting minimum if they had been making less. All teachers, regardless of their current pay, will get an additional $500 raise for each of the two remaining years of the contract, on top of the 3.5% annual increases originally part of the three-year deal. Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León issued a statement Thursday calling the agreement “historic.”

Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon said Friday there were about 500 teaching vacancies in the district. That’s compared to 2,951 positions currently filled, union officials said. They educate a total of just over 35,000 regular public school students.

Abeigon said the persistent teacher shortfall has meant larger class sizes and greater workloads for teachers, both detrimental to students’ education.