PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A business website ranked Illinois 10th in the country for teacher pay at $69,300.
Business.org compared teacher salaries using data from the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education. The national average teacher salary is $65,090, while the national average salary is $58,260.
The average teacher pay in Peoria Public Schools is $62,140, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Compared with other school districts across Central Illinois, that salary falls in the middle of the pack.
According to the ISBE, the average teacher pay is $48,937 in Canton, $52,249 in Pekin, $59,327 in Dunlap, $62,680 in Bloomington, and $66,496 in Washington.
It appears Central Illinois pays well below Business.com’s reported average teacher salary in Illinois.
WMBD reached out to Peoria Public Schools to inquire about teacher recruitment and retention, but they refused to answer questions.
PPS Board of Education President Martha Ross released a statement on August 24 to indicate the school board is proposing a salary increase among the highest in the state.
On Thursday, Ross released another statement pledging to publish the district’s salary offers by mid-September if an agreement with Peoria Federation of Teachers is not reached.
That places pressure to get a deal done on the union and federal mediator, who will be back on Sept. 7.
