2014 CONNCAN TEACHER CONTRACT DATABASE

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

FROM TEACHER CONTRACTS
The ConnCAN Teacher and Administrator Contract Database is a comprehensive
collection of the collective bargaining agreements, or contracts, for teachers and
school administrators from throughout the state. This document presents information
about trends found in the teacher contracts that are included in the database.
For more information, please visit www.contracts.conncan.org.

Variation in Teacher Salaries

Masters Degree - Maximum salary

S
 alaries vary greatly across districts for teachers with similar degrees
and experience levels.

Number of Districts

F
 or example, the lowest starting salary for teachers with a Bachelors
Degree is $37,311, while the highest starting salary for teachers with a
BA is $54,558. That is a difference of more than $17,000 for teachers
with the same degree status and experience level.
The differences in teacher salaries can be huge at the upper salary levels.

Salary Range

$103,001-$108,000

$98,001-$103,000

$93,001-$98,000

$88,001-$93,000

$83,001-$88,000

$78,001-$83,000

$73,001-$78000

$68,000-$73,000

T
 he lowest maximum salary for teachers with a Masters Degree is
68,971, while the highest maximum salary for teachers with a
Masters Degree is $105,307. Thats a difference of more than
$36,000 per year.
C
 urrent salary structures pay more for experience than advanced
degrees.
O
 n average, the difference in starting salary between a teacher
with a Bachelors Degree and a teacher with a Masters degree is
less than $3,500 per year. Even a starting teacher with a doctorate
degree would, on average, earn only about $9,300 more than a
starting teacher with a Bachelors Degree.

T
 he average difference between the minimum and maximum salary for teachers with a Masters Degree,
however, is more than $34,000. This range is similar for teachers with a 6th Year or doctorate degree.
S
 tatewide, average salary increases between the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years were greater for
more experienced teachers than they were for new teachers.

Increase in Statewide Average Salaries

Bachelors

Masters

Doctorate

Minimum salary

+$625

+$656

+$783

Maximum salary

+$1,326

+$1,320

+$1,495

Summary of Key Findings from Teacher Contracts visit: www.contracts.conncan.org.

The Role of Evaluation in Teacher

Compensation and Employment

Does the district provide some type of

performance or incentive-based pay?
4.5%

Few school districts offer compensation based on a

teachers job performance. Performance or merit-based

rewards are significantly less common than other types of
additional compensation for teachers:
Performance Pay: Less than 5% of districts (8 districts) offer
extra pay for teachers based on meeting certain performance
measures: Bloomfield, Columbia, East Granby, Hartford, New
Haven, Southington, West Haven, and Woodstock Academy.
National Board Certification: Only 27% of districts (47 districts)
offer extra pay for teachers who earn a certification from the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Most
districts offer an annual bonus, averaging just over $1,400.
Longevity Payments: Two-thirds of districts (117 districts,
66.5%) offer longevity payments to employees once they have
reached a certain number of years of service.

0.5%

95%

Yes

No

N/A

Does the district provide longevity

payments?

Tuition Reimbursement: Nearly 3 in 4 districts (127 districts,

72%) offer reimbursement for teachers to earn advanced
degrees. On average, districts offer payment for 60% the cost
of tuition.

34%
66%

Extra duty: 100% of districts offer other compensation for extra

duty for positions ranging from teacher leader positions to
athletic coaching.
S
 eniority, not job effectiveness, remains the determining
factor in a majority of teacher layoff provisions.
S
 eniority is a factor in layoffs for every district with data
reported, while only half of districts consider performance
and/or evaluations in layoffs.

Yes

No

N/A

Is seniority a primary factor

considered in layoffs?
1%

In more than 1 in 3 districts (35%), seniority is the only

factor considered in layoffs.

12%

T
 eacher performance and/or evaluations are considered a
primary factor in less than 5% of districts (7 districts).
87%

N
 early half of all Connecticut districts tie a teachers annual
pay increases to job performance.
In nearly half of districts, (81 districts, 46%) teachers may
have their salary step increases withheld from one year to
the next based on unsatisfactory performance or
performance evaluation.

Yes

www.conncan.org (203) 772-4017 85 Willow St. New Haven CT 06511

No

N/A