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Press Releases

Education

### Executive Summary

#### Key Questions:
- How does comprehensive compensation for OK teachers compare regionally?
- How have compensation levels changed?
- How does cost-of-living factor into the State’s competitiveness?
- What are best practices being utilized by other states related to structuring teacher compensation?
- What role does OK’s teacher compensation have on recruiting and retaining classroom teachers?
- What factors are contributing to OK teachers leaving the profession or the State?

In a school setting, teachers are considered the most influential aspect to a student’s academic progress. Accordingly, a majority of the resources dedicated by the State of Oklahoma to public education are expended on teacher salaries and benefits. Oklahoma has approximately 43 thousand public school teachers, and spends close to $2.9 billion annually to fund their salaries and benefits.

Recent workforce trends, educational performance outcomes, and concerns about a potential teacher shortage have led policymakers to examine how teachers are compensated, how Oklahoma’s total compensation structure compares against the regional and national marketplace, to what degree compensation effects the workforce, and how other states are attracting and retaining quality educators.

With this evaluation, the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency sought to provide a complete picture of the total compensation provided to public school teachers and determine the regional and national competitiveness of Oklahoma’s pay. LOFT’s research resulted in three key findings:

#### Finding 1: When Adjusted for Cost-of-Living and Tax Burden, the Average Oklahoma Teacher Salary Ranks 1st Within the Surrounding Region and 21st in the Nation.

![Screen Shot 2022-07-22 at 6.36.27 PM.png](https://dy8iim215g2zo.cloudfront.net/Screen_Shot_2022_07_22_at_6_36_27_PM_7e7c02573e.png)

Despite statements from both the National Education Association (NEA) and the U.S. Department of Education urging states and school districts to factor regional cost of living and purchasing power into salary comparisons, LOFT found no existing national comparison of teacher compensation factored for these variations.

![Screen Shot 2022-07-22 at 6.37.40 PM.png](https://dy8iim215g2zo.cloudfront.net/Screen_Shot_2022_07_22_at_6_37_40_PM_c5d8827913.png)

Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the NEA, and the Tax Foundation, LOFT adjusted state-level salary data to reflect the real buying power of teacher salaries and found Oklahoma’s compensation levels are highly competitive both regionally and nationally. After adjusting for tax burdens and cost-of-living differences, the average Oklahoma teacher salary ranks as highest in the surrounding seven-state region and the 21st highest in the nation. Teacher benefits, which include retirement, the state-funded health insurance premium for employees, and contributions to Social Security, are included in reported state salaries. Benefits paid to Oklahoma teachers are equal to a third of total compensation.

An analysis of the average salaries across 2,470 school districts in the seven state region revealed that only 31 percent of school districts offer higher average teacher salaries than Oklahoma’s, after adjusting for real buying power.

#### Finding 2: Oklahoma’s Compensation Structure Provides Limited Incentives and Options for Professional Growth and Income Potential

The majority of Oklahoma’s public schools utilize a traditional salary system structured around a series of “steps” and “lanes” that are based on educational attainment, professional development, and years of experience. Oklahoma’s compensation structure is heavily weighted on the front end, with an emphasis on raising starting salaries, but provides limited income adjustments at the mid and late-career points. 
Compensation primarily based on years of service applies a one-size-fits most approach, limiting recognition of exemplary teaching, the varied skills or training required of certain subjects, or the market environment for difficult to fill positions. Additionally, there is little financial incentive for teachers to pursue post-graduate degrees. The use of teacher salary schedules also yields limited returns for Oklahoma teachers and may be contributing to shorter careers in the profession.

While state statute provides flexibility to Oklahoma schools to adopt independent salary schedules – and LOFT identified a few that are doing so - most utilize the traditional salary schedule that other states and large school districts have moved away from. Regional peers like Colorado and Texas are instead adopting innovative, market-based approaches to attract and retain high-quality teachers. From a state perspective, Kansas may be Oklahoma’s greatest competitor for teacher talent, but at the school district level, LOFT found Dallas to be the most competitive.

#### Finding 3: Lack of Data Prevents Oklahoma from Assessing Compensation’s Role in Teacher Shortages

Like most states, Oklahoma is experiencing shortages in the teacher workforce due to attrition, retirement and a reduced pipeline of new teachers. However, unlike most states, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) does not collect data detailed enough to identify the number of unfilled positions or concentrations of need, whether by subject area or geographic region. An average of 10 percent of public educators leave the profession annually, and Oklahoma’s replacement rate is of concern. Since the 2010-2011 school year, Oklahoma has experienced a 25 percent reduction in the number of students earning degrees in the field of education. Over the past 10 years, graduates from Oklahoma’s public institutions are enough to fill just 46 percent of the vacancies created from teachers retiring over the same period.

To better understand the challenges and potential opportunities within the teacher workforce, LOFT analyzed the Oklahoma educator pipeline from college campus to the classroom and found the following: communication gaps, poor data collection, and a lack of proactive strategies. LOFT did not observe an evidence-based, unified statewide strategy to address teacher shortfalls with recruitment or retention.

![Screen Shot 2022-07-22 at 6.39.23 PM.png](https://dy8iim215g2zo.cloudfront.net/Screen_Shot_2022_07_22_at_6_39_23_PM_797c9a12fa.png)

The limited coordination among the various stakeholders (depicted at left) stem from a lack of data and information from the classrooms and schools reaching the lead education agency, (OSDE), and other key education entities including the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and teacher preparation programs. For example, these stakeholders do not currently coordinate forecasting of teacher retirements, or identify critical shortage areas to direct undergraduates to during their coursework and certification process.

Additionally, teacher exit surveys do not currently capture data about compensation’s role in a teacher’s decision to leave. Absent sufficient data about pay as a factor in teachers leaving the profession, it is reasonable to conclude that there are other drivers into those decisions. It is LOFT’s assessment that, without a root cause analysis of teacher turnover, further investments into compensation will have limited impact on retention rates.

Executive Summary

Evaluation of Comprehensive Compensation for Oklahoma Teachers

Report

Report & Resources

### Summary of Policy Considerations and Agency Recommendations

#### Policy Considerations 

The Legislature may consider the following policy changes: •Amend statute to require OSDE to generate and provide the Educator Supply and Demand report annually to show specific teacher shortages by region, county, school districts and academic subjects. (70 O.S. § 6-21)

- Create a fund that targets specific academic subject areas or regional shortages in the State’s teacher workforce. Funds would be directed towards school districts that show critical need for certain teaching positions; districts would use the additional funds to incentivize individuals to fill hard-to staff positions.
- Require the Oklahoma State Department of Education in coordination with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to develop an annual report card on the effectiveness of teacher training programs in meeting the State’s workforce demands for educators, districts and specific subject areas.
- Require a biennial comprehensive teacher salary report from the Oklahoma State Department of Education with the report to include national and regional comparisons, cost-of-living differences and salary information by local school districts.
- Amend the definition of a teacher in statute to only include a classroom teacher with a valid certificate issued by and in accordance with the rules of the State Board of Education or the rules of the State Board of Career and Technology Education. Include only teachers with Jobs Code 210 and 213 under definition of a teacher. (70 O.S. § 1-116)

#### Agency Recommendations
The Oklahoma State Department of Education should:
- Connect teacher certification program supply data to district-level demand data to identify areas of shortage and surplus. 
- Work collaboratively with the State Regents to set parameters around the number of candidates to be prepared and trained in each certification area based on existing and predicted need.
- Develop cooperative agreements with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) and surrounding state workforce agencies to track Oklahoma teachers in the workforce outside of Oklahoma. This data could identify motives or other underlying trends that could assist Oklahoma’s workforce and the State Legislature in retaining educators.
- Enhance the Oklahoma teacher exit survey to allow for further information and data to be collected from outgoing educators.?
Make teacher mobility data at the school district level publicly available.
- Conduct a follow up interview with teachers who have left the profession a year after departure to provide further insight into teacher attrition.
- Adopt NCES’ follow-up survey to obtain activity or occupational data for teachers who leave the position of a K-12 teacher and obtain current teaching assignment information to include state of residence, salary and teaching assignment for those who are still teaching.
- Promote and encourage local school districts to apply for the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program.
- Provide cost-of-living calculations in future analysis and reports regarding teacher compensation.
- Incorporate comparable wage index (CWI) calculations into local school district salaries for future analysis and reporting similar to the approach taken by Arkansas, Colorado and Texas’ analyzing salaries.
- Include State and school district salaries’ real buying power on recruiting and marketing materials for teacher candidates and students.

Recommendations

2024 Impact Evaluation Teacher Compensation

2024 Impact Evaluation of Teacher Compensation

Teacher Compensation

2024 Impact Evaluation Addendum

<h2 class="ql-align-center">LOFT Note on SDE Survey</h2><p>&nbsp;</p><p>LOFT is providing the results of the survey of exiting teachers provided by the State Department of Education, however, LOFT cannot endorse the validity of the results and cautions against drawing any conclusions from the survey due to the following data deficiencies:</p><ul><li>SDE reported that the survey results are from 36 respondents, but did not report the total population size (total number of teachers exiting). Therefore, LOFT cannot determine if 36 respondents reflect a valid or representative sample size.</li><li>The survey results are from September-November 2024, which is not a full school year or even a full semester, making it difficult to accurately generalize claims about the population.</li><li>As the survey allowed respondents to leave some questions blank, the sample size from question to question cannot be assumed to be constant. These limitations on interpretation are exacerbated by the unlabeled chart axes.</li><li>The last and most significant reason LOFT does not consider this a valid or accurate survey is the fact that SDE has posted a link to this live survey on its website (sde.ok.gov/teacher-leadership-development under the Data Initiatives header). LOFT tested the link and found it is a live link for anyone to fill and submit survey responses without any means of verifying that the respondent is or was ever a teacher. This alone compromises the data integrity and renders the survey results untrustworthy.</li></ul>

Exit Survey

OSDE Educator Exit Survey

2024 OSDE Educator Exit Survey 

2021-2022 Report

Comprehensive Compensation for Oklahoma Teachers

Evaluations In Progress

Transportation and Public Safety

Report: 24-978-01
Examine the cost of toll roads. 

Evaluation of the Cost of Oklahoma's Toll Roads

Health and Human Services

Agency Investigation: Financial Condition of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses Services
Date Published: July 2025

Financial Condition of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

General Government 

Report: 24-000-01
Identify all reports statutorily required to be provided to the Legislature. 

Agency Reports

Comprehensive Compensation for Oklahoma Teachers

More Reports & Evaluations

Evaluation of the Cost of Oklahoma's Toll Roads

Financial Condition of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Agency Reports