Schools
Teacher-Contract Database: Seniority Matters, Starting Salary Varies Wildly
A new database compiled by the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now sheds light on teacher-contract trends across the state's public school districts.
Wondering about the details of your school district's teacher contracts?
Wonder no longer. The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) released its newly updated teacher-contract database on Tuesday.
The database includes updated teacher contracts for the 175 Connecticut school districts whose contracts are collectively bargained. Recent additions include Waterbury, Stamford, New London and Middletown.
“Collective bargaining agreements are important drivers of school district policies and costs, which directly impact the working conditions for teachers and the environment in which kids learn,” said Jennifer Alexander, chief executive officer at ConnCAN. “That’s why we created a user friendly resource for teachers, parents, policymakers, and advocates, to further understand what is included in collective bargaining agreements that govern school districts across Connecticut.”
Connecticut’s public school districts educate over 550,000 kids and employ more than 40,000 teachers, according to the State Department of Education.
Features of the database include:
- A district snapshot with the number of teachers and schools in each district.
- An expanded salary section that allows comparison between new and old contracts.
- Information on health insurance benefits contained in each contract.
Some of ConnCAN's key findings from the data are:
- Few districts tie salary to teacher performance or effectiveness.
- Seniority is the key factor in most teacher layoffs, not performance.
- Starting teacher salaries can vary wildly from district to district.
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