Biden calls for teacher raises despite 43-year-long increase, plummeting student performance

WASHINGTON (CITC) — Federal officials are claiming that U.S. public school teachers are overdue for pay raises despite the average salary for the profession consistently rising over the last four decades.

In a social media post Sunday evening, President Joe Biden stated that "it's time American public school teachers got a raise." The Biden administration has consistently advocated for teacher pay increases, havingencouragedstate and school leaders to put parts of their American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds towards salaries.

On Thursday, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona also stressed the need to "ensure teacher pay matches the essential work they do."

The remarks come as the average U.S. public school teacher salary has increased annually for more than 40 years, according to data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). Teachers nationwide currently receive an average salary of $66,397.

The average salary has also increased by $2,225 since the 2019-20 academic year, which was the first year that schools shifted to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only decline is seen in NCES's data adjusted for inflation, which shows a nearly $4,000 decrease in the value of teacher salaries since the 2019-20 academic year. It is the first significant drop in inflation-adjusted salary recorded since the 2009-10 academic year.

Though inflation is currently decreasing, the relatively high inflation numbers under President Biden's watch have been a sore spot for the administration. President Biden has repeatedly blamed high inflation on his predecessor.

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The majority of Americans appear to disagree with the Biden administration that increasing teacher pay should be a top priority, citing other issues that need to be addressed first, polling shows.

A September 2022Gallup pollfound 65% of registered voters say "curriculum and educational approach" is the top reason for their "dissatisfaction" with U.S. K-12 public schools.

The same poll found only 28% of registered voters were dissatisfied with public schools because of a lack of resources. Of that 28%, just 4% cited teacher pay as their top concern.

In contrast, 10% of respondents blamed their dissatisfaction on political agendas being taught in schools, while11% said schools aren't teaching enough "basics" like reading, writing and arithmetic.

Several parents rights groups, such as Parents Defending Education and Moms for Liberty, have pushed for public schools to refocus on the "basics" and eliminate political messaging from classrooms.

Parents have previously told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) they are looking for education officials to prioritize helping students recover pandemic-related learning losses.

The most recent report card from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed the largest declines in math performance ever recorded for 13-year-old students. The same report also showed that the average reading score for 13-year-old students has declined by seven points since the 2019-20 academic year.

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In May, the NAEP found that students are also falling behind in U.S. history and civics. The average eighth grade civics score has declined by two points, representing the subject's first drop since NAEP measurements began.

U.S. history scores continued a nearly decade-long decline by dropping by another five points this year.

"Our educators deserve respect - and they shouldn’t have to sacrifice the economic stability of their families to answer the calling of teaching our nation’s students. The President and Secretary Cardona have been clear that competitive pay for teachers is critical if we want to make sure all students have access to great educators who can support their academic recovery and success," a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education told CITC. "Since 2021, 29 states and DC have taken action at the state or system level to increase compensation and districts across the country have increased pay. That’s progress, but more is needed."

CITC also reached out to The White House for comment, as well as to inquire whether the Biden administration feels increasing teacher pay will help improve student performance. This story will be updated if a response is received.