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See how wages in the three striking North Shore districts compare to their peers

Umito November 15, 2024

Teacher strikes in Gloucester and Beverly reached their fourth day of missed school Thursday, while teachers in Marblehead were out for a third school day, after days of negotiation and mediation that have so far produced no agreement in any of the three districts.

Together, the three unions represent approximately 1,420 educators who teach approximately 10,000 students.

Districts have touted some agreements in areas such as sick leave and length of teachers’ work year, but agreements remain. major sticking points like salary increases. Each community is different with its own areas of contention, but parental leave and paraprofessional pay also appear to be crucial questions.

Here’s how the three districts compare to their peers in terms of compensation. Comparison districts were selected using the state’s “district analysis and review tools.” Other districts on the state’s north coast are also included. Detailed information on each comparison district can be found at the bottom of the article.

The lowest salary is typically for a first-year teacher with only a bachelor’s degree, while higher ranks sometimes include a doctorate and more than a decade of experience. The typical path to a professional license in Massachusetts is a master’s degree; salary is generally higher for new teachers with a master’s degree.

Salary grades reward years of service within the district, with the lowest grade being entry-level salary and the highest grade being for staff who have been with the district the longest.

The highest rungs in each district are below the median among its peers, although the floor in Gloucester is higher. All three districts pay less at the high end of the scale than the median for other North Shore communities.

But the lower and upper tiers do not reflect the average teacher salary. The table below includes average salaries for the 2020-21 school year, the most recent year for which data is available. The table also includes data on overall school spending and district demographics.

In 2020-21, all three districts paid lower salaries than their peers. Last year, Gloucester and Marblehead had significantly lower student-teacher ratios than their peers, and in 2021-22 they spent more per student.