Let's Talk About Teachers' Salaries

Back to Basics believes that teachers are our district’s most valuable resource. We believe that our school district's budget pours a disproportionate amount of dollars into administrator salaries --as compared to teacher salaries-- and we believe that inequity needs to be corrected.

WCASD administrator salaries have increased by 22 percent since 2017. Enrollment has not kept pace with the salary increase. In fact, student enrollment has increased by fewer than 500 students over the past decade, yet our district has raised our annual budget by an average of $10 million per year, every year for the 10 years.

TEN MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR.

FOR TEN YEARS IN A ROW.

Where is all that money going?

Surely our district must be paying our teachers a fantastic salary?

After all, our district likes to talk about their prestigious awards for their fiscal management. (Though the PA Auditor General disagrees.) And they like to point out that they are an award winning district. (Funny story: if you click on the "award winning" link, WCASD is no longer listed as Best Schools, but the district is still patting themselves on the back for an award that is no longer relevant.)

Would it surprise you to learn that WCASD is not even in the top 25 highest paying school districts in PA? Chester County is the wealthiest county in PA, yet only two school district in the county appear on the list. (WCASD is not one of them.)

So how much is our district paying their teachers? Not as much as you think. Check back tomorrow and Friday for a thorough discussion on this topic!