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Schools

Teachers in the Twin Cities Paid Better Than State Average

A new online tool shows the average teacher salary in most California school districts.

Debating if public school teachers are over- or under-paid is a hot topic whenever cuts to education funding loom or student test scores are released.

A new online comparison tool lets the public compare average teacher salaries by school district, revealing that Twin Cities teacher salaries are ahead of the average teacher pay in California. The average pay in the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District is $75,909.

Statewide, the average teacher salary declined slightly during the 2011-12 academic year to $68,531, the Bakersfield Californian reported.

Find out what's happening in Larkspur-Corte Maderawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Overall, Marin County educators are on-par with the state average.

But the California Teachers Association doesn't put much stock in the comparison tool. Teacher salary scales are configured with formulas that take into account years of experience and education level, but many young and early-career teachers have been laid off due to budget cuts in recent years.

Find out what's happening in Larkspur-Corte Maderawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Teacher Salaries 2011-12
School District Average Pay Student Enrollment Dixie (San Rafael) Elementary SD
$73,844
1,793 Mill Valley Elementary SD
$76,909
2,968
Novato USD
$62,904 7,999 Ross Valley Elementary SD $62,744 2,210 San Rafael City Elementary SD $62,608 2,000 Tamalpais Union High School District $87,497 3,839 Source: Ed-Data

California public school teachers make 16.1 percent less than other college graduates, according to the California Teachers Association. The disparity increases for those with master's degrees.

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