Non-teaching staff surge limits Oklahoma teacher pay raises

In 2017 economist Ben Scafidi highlighted the persevering with public college staffing surge in his report “Again to the Staffing Surge.” Scafidi discovered that between 1992 and 2015 public colleges throughout the nation elevated all employees by 37 %—whereas scholar enrollment solely grew by 20 %. Non-teaching employees made up nearly all of that development with a 47 % improve.

Oklahoma’s tendencies had been related. Between 1992 and 2015 non-teaching employees grew by 36 % in Oklahoma whereas scholar enrollment solely grew by 17 %. Scafidi estimated that had Oklahoma matched non-teaching full-time equal (FTE) development to enrollment development, the state would have saved $373 million—sufficient to offer every trainer a further $8,872 in compensation.

The latest information (2019) present that the development has continued. Since 2015 academics as a share of whole employees has fallen from 49.4 % to 48.7 % in Oklahoma. The chart under reveals the change in non-teaching employees in comparison with the expansion in college students and academics.

As you may see, development in non-teaching employees continues to outpace development in scholar enrollment and in instructing employees. Utilizing Scafidi’s assumption of $60,000 in financial savings per non-teaching FTE, Oklahoma might have added one other $347 to trainer compensation—boosting the entire compensation improve academics might have acquired to $9,219. BLS information present that state and native training companies employees obtain 65 % of their compensation by wage and wages. That improve in compensation would have raised trainer salaries by an estimated $6,000, shifting Oklahoma from thirty seventh to twenty third in common trainer wage with a median annual wage of $60,256 in 2021.

Not solely has the staffing surge value academics cash, it has proven no impact on scholar outcomes. Based on the latest NAEP studying outcomes, solely 24 % of Oklahoma fourth-graders examined proficient or higher—a decrease share than all however two states.