PSBA's school personnel services staff recently completed the annual study of professional personnel position salaries scheduled for payment during the 2006-07 school year. The study breaks the professional salaries into three main classifications: total professional staff, administrative and supervisory personnel, and bargaining unit positions.

For definition purposes:

Total professional staff includes all professional personnel employed in school districts -- both administrative-supervisory and bargaining unit personnel -- as a total composite grouping.

Administrative-supervisory staff includes superintendents, assistant superintendents, central office administrators, principals and others normally considered part of the management team in most school districts.

Bargaining unit staff includes teachers, guidance counselors, nurses and other personnel normally covered by the terms of a contractual agreement under Act 195.

All comparisons are based on the statewide average annual salaries reported for each category or position.

In addition to the three main classifications studied, several individual positions found in school districts are reported to track the movement of salaries within management and bargaining unit areas. The individual position salaries studied include chief school administrator, secondary principal, elementary principal, secondary teacher and elementary teacher.

Specific salary data for 2006-07 reveal the following trends:

• An increase of $1,077 (1.9%) in the average annual salary of the total professional staff (Figures 1 and 2).
• An increase of $1,995 (2.3%) in the average annual salary of administrative-supervisory staff (Figures 3 and 4).
• An increase of $1,022 (1.9%) in the average annual salary of bargaining unit personnel (Figures 5 and 6).

Since 2002 . . .

• Administrative-supervisory average annual salaries increased $8,750 (11.0%) (Figures 7 and 8).
• Bargaining unit average annual salaries increased $3,829 (7.4%) (Figures 7 and 8).
• Superintendents' average annual salaries increased $13,178 (12.6%) (Figure 14).
• Secondary principals' average annual salaries increased $9,990 (12.4%) (Figure 14).
• Elementary principals' average annual salaries increased $9,373 (11.9%) (Figure 14).
• Secondary teachers' average annual salaries increased $3,296 (6.5%), and elementary teachers' average annual salaries increased $3,986 (7.8%) (Figure 14).