[ TEACHER STRIKE ]
Teacher salaries Average salaries for Hawaii's public school teachers have dropped nearly 12 percent since 1979 when adjusted for inflation, according to a study that concludes spending more on education does not automatically produce better students.
have dropped
since 1979
Then, Hawaii teachers were
third-highest in the nation
By Christine Donnelly
Star-BulletinIn 1979, Hawaii teachers' average pay of $18,875 was third-highest in the nation. But the ranking dropped to 16th in 1989, with an average of $31,945, and to 21st in 1999 with an average of $41,547, according to a report by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
But the state's ranking plunges to 47th for the 20-year period when adjusted for inflation. In "constant dollars," Hawaii's salaries were $47,188 in 1979, $44,084 in 1989 and $41,547 in 1999, a decrease of 11.95 percent for the time period.
Hawaii was one of 11 states that saw teacher salaries decline over time when adjusted for inflation. New Mexico had the biggest drop, down 19.34 percent in constant dollars.
For the United States as a whole, teacher salaries were up 8.76 percent in constant dollars from 1979 to 1999, with the biggest gain in New Hampshire, where adjusted salaries rose 48.15 percent. But Andrew LeFevre, director of ALEC's National Task Force on Education and co-author of the report, cautioned that Hawaii residents should not expect student achievement to soar if teachers get a hefty raise, as they have been striking for since April 5.
LeFevre said the report, which analyzed more than 100 measures of educational spending and achievement over more than 20 years, found no direct correlation between higher per-pupil expenditures -- including teacher salaries, money spent to reduce class sizes, and the cost of building more schools -- and higher student achievement, as measured by various standardized tests.
As examples, he cited the state of New Jersey, which in 1998-99 spent the most per pupil ($9,703) and had the second-highest average teacher salaries ($54,342) but ranked 25th on academic achievement among U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
"New Jersey is a good example because they have been spending a lot of money for a long time, and they're not seeing it pay off," he said.
By contrast, Iowa was first in academic achievement but 32nd on overall per-pupil expenditures and 38th on teacher salaries in 1998-99. Hawaii ranked 34th on academic achievement (up from 47th in last year's ALEC report), 21st on per-pupil expenditures and 21st on average teacher salary.
"The conventional wisdom has been that more money equals better education, but that hasn't proved true," LeFevre said. He hopes the report will help "move the debate beyond money and focus more on the less tangible aspects that clearly have a greater impact on how kids do at school," including parental involvement, standards and accountability, and local control.
As for raising teachers' salaries, LeFevre said states should develop "fair and reliable" ways to judge teachers and "then reward those who are actually doing well. Pay-for-performance plans are a good idea ... but there's been a lot of resistance from the unions."
Gov. Ben Cayetano had not seen the analysis so could not comment, said spokeswoman Kim Murakawa. But she noted he has "always said that raising teacher pay alone does not guarantee better schools. He says teachers deserve a raise" but that the education system needs greater accountability.
Danielle Lum, spokeswoman for the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said the union does not oppose merit pay but wants to see it given fairly.
"We're not against pay for performance. What's at issue is how to decide who gets it," said Lum.
She said the state wanted to award merit pay based on teachers' earning advanced college credits, while the union wants it based on peer review.
And Lum disputed LeFevre's contention that teacher pay was unrelated to student achievement, especially since there is a shortage of qualified educators across the country. "When you increase the salary, you increase the attractiveness of the profession," she said.
Moreover, she said, teacher pay raises should not be considered only in relation to student performance because so many other factors influence how well students do.
"Years of undisputed research" show a child's home life is the biggest factor, including parental involvement, family income and the parents' own level of educational attainment, Lum said.
The American Legislative Exchange Council, comprised of 2,400 state legislators nationwide, is dedicated to the principles of free markets, individual liberty and limited government. It supports the expansion of charter schools, which are government-funded but operate independently, and government-paid school vouchers, which let students switch from public to private schools.
Teachers unions, including the HSTA, have long opposed vouchers, saying they undermine public education. The teachers unions and ALEC often find the conclusions of their research at odds -- as on the impact of lower teacher pay on students -- but Lum said the raw data was indisputable.
"We can disagree about what it means, but the facts are the facts. Even they see that teacher pay is down (when adjusted for inflation)," said Lum. "If they had adjusted for Hawaii's cost of living, it would have been even worse."
Several states that have high student achievement and below-average teacher salaries, such as Iowa and Montana, also have a low cost of living, she said.
>> HSTA Web site
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>> DOE Web site
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