North Dakota oil patch and small district teachers earn more

There are so many factors involved in compensation for educators. Many look at the base salary, but the district’s salary schedule is also important. Teachers wanting to make a career in a specific district often look to see how their annual increases will look. Some districts offer flat dollar amounts and others offer percent increases. Many school districts have also begun to pay the teacher’s side of TFFR( retirement). When this happens, teachers see approximately 11% more in their take home pay. As in many other career paths, health insurance is also key. School districts that can offer a large part of a family plan, also draw staff who want to stay for their career. Despite all of the attempts to draw teachers in, there is still a large teacher shortage. School boards and state legislators still need to work together to draw quality educators into our state so that North Dakota’s greatest resource continue to receive the best education possible.