NIAGARA FALLS —
Teachers in Niagara Falls are among the top three earners within Western New York public school districts, according to a study released today by Business First.
The business publication analyzed salaries at five key points in a typical teacher’s career, and used that information to rate the pay scales at all 98 Western New York districts. Comparisons were made at the fifth, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95th percentiles, based on data compiled by the New York State Education Department.
At a median teacher salary of $59,249 and a peak of $86,298, Niagara Falls School District ranks behind only No. 1 Sweet Home and No. 2 Williamsville.
Grand Island ranks No. 5, Niagara-Wheatfield is No. 11, Lewiston-Porter finished No. 13 and Wilson is No. 21 on the list of 98 school districts.
Business First’s review of education salaries also shows 546 administrators and teachers in Western New York are earning six-figures in total compensation. Niagara Falls currently has 33 employees at that level, second only to Williamsville.
The median pay for Western New York school superintendents has soared 55 percent since 1998, easily outstripping the inflation rate of 34 percent for the same 12-year period, according to the analysis.
The typical superintendent in the eight-county region was paid $88,750 a dozen years ago, based on salary allocations reported by Western New York's 98 school districts to the State Education Department. The median salary for that same group shot up to $137,917 by 2010.
Starpoint Central School District recorded the largest increase at 107 percent, from $85,576 a dozen years ago to $177,143 currently. Niagara-Wheatfield had the third highest jump among WNY public school districts at 91 percent.
Full details will be available in Business First's 2010-2011 Guide to Western New York Schools, which hits newsstands Friday. Highlights — including a database with all district salaries of $50,000 or more — are also available at the newspaper's Web site: buffalo.bizjournals.com.
In the money
The following is where local school districts ranked according to Business First’s analysis of teacher pay among Western New York’s 98 public school districts. The rankings are based on median and peak employee salaries using data collected from the State Education Department:
No. 1: Sweet Home, median $62,074; peak $92,756
No. 3: Niagara Falls, median $59,249; peak $86,298
No. 5: Grand Island, median $62,185; peak $92,717
No. 11: Niagara-Wheatfield, median $57,026; peak $85,238
No. 13: Lewiston-Porter, median $58,397; peak $78,732
No. 21: Wilson, median $52,822; peak $86,624
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