Shelby Review

The Michigan Department of Education recently released data on the state’s teacher pay for 2018-19. The average teacher’s salary in the state was $62,170, with Utica Community Schools coming in on top.

Utica Schools is in Macomb County. The top-earning educator in the Utica district pulled in $109,364 in 2018, according to the Macomb district website. The average salary for a Utica educator was $82,065 annually, Michigan Capitol Confidential reports. 

The Utica Education Association released a meme around the same time frame as the Michigan Department of Education’s data was released that compared teacher pay to a minnow despite the district having the highest teacher pay. The meme pictured a shark being pulled on shore by the tail by a man with the words “Teacher’s effort” above it. The split image showed a minnow being held by the tail by a hand with the words “Teacher’s salary" above it.

Macomb County is also home to Warren Consolidated Schools, the district with the second highest average teacher salary - $81,204. 

The rest of the top 10 highest average public school salaries, in ascending order, are Warren Consolidated Schools, $81,204; Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, $80,326; Farmington Public Schools, $78,676; Southgate Community Schools, $77,070; Southfield Public Schools, $75,968; Birmingham Public Schools, $75,785; Wyandotte Schools, $75,545; Northville Public Schools; and Allen Park Public Schools, $74,867.

There is a disparity in the average pay in lower income districts compared to more well-off districts. The average salary for a teacher in a district in Eaton County was $45,726 in 2018-19.  

The top 10 districts with the highest average salaries are all in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.