PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A study by a pro-worker group found that Oregon public school teachers are paid so skimpily that, despite their generous health and pension benefits, their overall compensation is 9 percent lower than they would receive in the private sector.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday on the Oregon Center for Public Policy’s deep dive into results of the American Community Survey. It found that, for each week they work, Oregon teachers make 22 percent less in salary and 9 percent less in total compensation than a comparable Oregon worker who is not a public school teacher.
Given that the average teacher earns $61,600, according to 2017 figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, and works 43 weeks per year, that suggests a similar full-time, year-round Oregon worker earns an average of $90,000, which seems unlikely.