A study of selected factors that impact school district average teaching salaries in Michigan

Data supplied from 83 Michigan School Districts with enrollments between 1,000 and 1,500 students during the 1986-87 school year illustrates that high average teacher salaries by district are not solely the result of a high revenue/pupil base alone. The author reviews economic data that impacts school district funding as well as examines selected external factors that are introduced by either the board of education or teacher union representatives during collective negotiations. The author concludes by way of Michigan State Department of Education data and a survey of the 83 school districts, that the impact of regional economics and regional bargaining are as great in determining a school system's average teacher salary as the district's ability to pay based on revenue per pupil.