Curtis Killman
Tulsa World Staff Writer
Oklahoma public school teachers saw a 9.3% average increase in their base pay this school year compared to the previous year, a Tulsa World analysis of payroll data shows.
Base pay for certified teachers and resource teachers in Oklahoma increased from $47,201 in the 2022-23 school year to $51,572 in the current school year, the analysis of Oklahoma Department of Education data shows.
The increase in average annual pay for teachers — $4,371 — is thanks in large part to a historic education funding package approved by the Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt during the 2023 legislative session.
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The education package funded raises of $3,000 to $6,000 for all Oklahoma teachers and certified school employees based in part on experience.
For all certified staff, which includes counselors, principals and other administrators, pay increased from fiscal year 2023 to fiscal year 2024 by an average $4,701 annually, going from $50,662 to $55,363.
Lawmakers said at the time that the average pay hike would be about $4,766.
The Tulsa World analysis was based on initial salary data produced at the beginning of the school year by the state Department of Education. Finalized numbers are typically available in late summer after the school year ends.
The average wage is based on the sum of all base pay paid to teachers and resource teachers divided by the total full-time equivalent hours for those jobs.
For reference purposes, inflation from August 2022 to August 2023 was 4.1% in the south region of the United States, which includes Oklahoma.
Prior to the 2023 wage increase, the last statewide pay increase granted to teachers occurred in 2019. It was $1,220 on average annually, according to the Tulsa World Archive.
In 2018, teachers received a $6,100 average wage increase after teachers from across the state staged a walkout at the state Capitol, according to the archive.
Oklahoma ranked 38th in the U.S. in teacher pay in 2021-22 at $54,804, according to the National Education Association, although the data are not directly comparable to data used in the Tulsa World analysis.
The NEA average — the most recent available — was based on gross pay prior to deductions for Social Security, retirement, health insurance and other reasons.
The base salary in the state data does not include pay for fringe benefits or other so-called extra-duty pay and other pay such as for coaching duties.
