(RNN) – Teachers are ditching their classrooms and taking to the streets and state capitals calling for better pay.
Data published in a 2017 National Educators Association report, suggests that the average public-school teacher salary for the 2015-2016 school year was $58,353. The U.S. household average is $57,617.
Teachers in California are the highest paid with an average annual salary of $77,179, according to 2016 data from the National Education Association.
While California's teachers are paid more than many other teachers across the country, a higher-average cost of living in the state makes up for it.
According to Zillow.com, the median price of homes currently listed in California is $499,900, while the median rent price in California is $2,650, which is well above than the national average.
The website states that home values in California have gone up 9.1 percent over the past year and Zillow predicts they will rise 3.9 percent within the next year.
Average teacher salaries are lowest in South Dakota at $42,025.
Claiming low pay, inadequate student learning tools and limited funding for their districts, teacher-led protests have emerged.
Following successful protests in West Virginia earlier this year, teachers in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arizona have followed suit.
Oklahoma is on its third day of strikes. The teachers there won raises averaging 16 percent or $6,100 last week, but they also want more funding for education in general.
It's time to let our voices be heard. It's time to end the denigration and degredation of our public schools. It's time to pay a living wage to our teachers, allowing us to recruit and retain only the best in the profession. Today, #WeMarch. #OklaEd #TulsaTeachers #LastResortOK https://t.co/bFjjyCPU2V
— Oklahoma Teachers (@TeacherOklahoma) April 2, 2018
According to a report published by the National Center for Education Statistics, 16 percent of teachers across the nation work second jobs outside the school system.
High turnover rates, retirement of longtime teachers, and fewer college students majoring in education along with the unfavorable pay and benefit structure, makes it hard to attract and maintain teachers, according to the report.
According to the NEA, the average classroom teacher salary has increased 15.2 percent over the last decade. However, because of inflation, the average salary has decreased by $1,823 or 3.0 percent.
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