Teaching in Minnesota (Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud: health insurance, credit, house)

[Riverdog]

Can anyone tell me what salaries are like? Does it vary from district to district, or is there a state-wide standard? I can't find a salary schedule anywhere on-line. Also, if you know, what are union dues like? I am a Special Education teacher with my MsEd and 2 years experience, although I don't know if my experience would transfer. Specifically, I am looking around the Duluth area, but Rochester is also a possibility, basically most smaller cities are under consideration.

Thanks!

[golfgal]

Salaries vary from district to district and the opportunities are few although special education is always in demand. Your union dues will also vary from district to district depending on what your local union charges. You aren't going to find a salary schedule online. I know in our old town teachers topped out at $40,000 but here they top out at $80,000 BUT, in our old town you could buy a NICE house for $200,000 or less, here it is $400,000+ for the same house.

[Riverdog]

Thanks, golfgal! May I ask, where are your new & old towns? I am really most interested in Duluth - does Duluth specifically top out around $40k or $80k? More importantly, where do salaries in MN start, since I probably have to go back to the scratch with building seniority? And, do you know if there is any reason why they don't post salary schedules? Most other places I'm looking at do, which makes it easier to make a decision on whether or not, with current expenses, we can think about moving there.

Thanks again, anything anyone can tell me is valuable. I don't want to start emailing school districts asking about salaries, but I don't want to waste my time (or theirs) interviewing, only to discover I can't survive on what they pay.

[JenLee]

This site might help you: Minnesota Teacher Salary - Salary Information in Minnesota
It lists a lot of useful information.

I just punched "MN teaching salaries" into Google and came up with tons of salary information for MN teachers.

[Riverdog]

JenLee -

Wow. I have been looking for this sort of information for months, but from official sources, like Dep't of Education & union websites. Never thought to just punch it in to Google, I've been looking for the union & DOE sites. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't be trusted with the education of our youth. . ..

Thanks so much!

[JenLee]

Originally Posted by Riverdog

JenLee -

Wow. I have been looking for this sort of information for months, but from official sources, like Dep't of Education & union websites. Never thought to just punch it in to Google, I've been looking for the union & DOE sites. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't be trusted with the education of our youth. . ..

Thanks so much!

You just are on a slower learning curve; but you did mention Special Ed, didn't you?

[golfgal]

I don't know specifically what Duluth pays for teachers, my guess it is 'average'. Our old town was in SW MN where the cost of living is pretty low. We are now in Rosemount, top rated district in the state that is well funded and supported so that helps the teacher pay. I would guess that most districts start in the $25,000 range. Most districts also will credit years of service, usually give you 1 year for every 2 you worked up to a certain number of years, 10 maybe?

[kathy55439]

Lots of teachers where I would have 4 year degree and work in child care because teaching jobs in Mn are hard to find. I know a school got 400 teachers to apply for one job in northern MN. But being a Special Education teacher you may have better luck.

[MidniteBreeze]

My husband and I are both educators. We started our careers out in Colorado but wanted to return to northern MN so we moved back here 3 years ago. I was lucky and got my job right away (I'm a counselor) but it took my husband 3 years to get his current (permanent) teaching job as a social studies teacher. And yes, there were MANY applicants for his job. Again, we consider ourselves pretty fortunate!

We are orignally from Duluth but finding (and keeping) a teaching job there is hard as well. Duluth is undergoing declining enrollment and they're talking about closing/reorganizing schools and many people are worried about their jobs. Job security is not a guarantee...ISD 709 is notorious for "laying off" teachers right before they're eligible for tenure. Of course SpEd is always in high demand, so you might have more options.

As mentioned above, most districts will credit your prior years of service, usually up to 7 years or so. But yes, you will have to start over as far as seniority is concerned. You are tenured after 3 years.

Salary schedules do vary. In my small, rural district the starting salaries are actually pretty good considering the cost of living here (I want to say low 30's?) but it tops out somehwere in the 50's. I'm not sure about Duluth.

Union dues usually run about $500-$600 a year. FYI: Minnesota is a very "pro" union state, so you pretty much HAVE to join or risk being an "outsider." (Plus you still have to pay a big percentage even if you DON'T join, so you might as well pay a little extra and have the full benefits.)

I've heard good things about the Hermantown district (pretty much a "suburb" of Duluth.) Other area districts you may want to look into are Proctor, Cloquet and Superior (WI).

If you're interested in other smaller cities, I know the Fargo-Moorhead area is growing at a healthy rate yet still has a very reasonable cost of living. You also mentoined Rochester, another city experiencing healthy growth. You may also want to check into the St. Cloud area or maybe Mankato?

Hope that helps some and good luck!

[grace1202]

Here is some general info about salaries from an email sent to parents in District 196.

SUPT’S NEWS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++
Independent School District 196, Rosemount, MN – September 26, 2007

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
BOARD APPROVES NEW CONTRACT WITH TEACHERS
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The School Board approved a new two-year contract with teachers and nurses at its Sept. 24 meeting, more than three months before the state-mandated Jan. 15 deadline. The 2,100 teachers and nurses who are represented by Dakota County United Educators ratified the agreement in a membership vote held Sept. 18.

The agreement – which is retroactive to July 1, 2007 and runs through June 30, 2009 – provides increases to the salary schedule of 2.6 percent in 2007-08 and 2.57 percent in 2008-09. The agreement increases the district’s contribution to employee health insurance; employee contributions for coverage will also increase. Under the new contract, a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree will earn $34,972 this year. The most experienced teachers, those with at least a master’s degree plus 60 credits, will earn $70,653 this year plus longevity.