Teachers quitting Delaware; union cites relatively low pay

DOVER, Del. – A Delaware official says the Department of Education needs to survey educators to figure out why teachers are leaving the state. The union chief says it’s obvious — they aren’t paid enough — and the state needs to act now to change that.

Delaware teachers earned an average of $59,960 in 2016 versus New Jersey’s $69,330 and Maryland’s $66,456.

Gov. John Carney’s proposed budget would give them a 2 per cent raise.

The associate secretary of the DOE’s Educator Support Team, Jon Neubauer, says Delaware needs to strengthen early career support for educators, but to learn what else is driving teachers out, they need to conduct surveys and research across the country.

Delaware State Education Association President Mike Matthews tells WDEL-FM the answer is already clear: low pay.

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Information from: WDEL-FM, http://www.wdel.com/