Career Resources
Salaries
MSEA and your local affiliate play a central role in ensuring that educators and school employees across Maryland receive decent salaries and benefits. Whether it’s bargaining for professional-level salaries and health care or pushing for improved funding in Annapolis, the work we do is critical to attracting and retaining the expertise and talent in the long run that is needed to maintain a high-quality school system.
The need to improve salaries is clear. Maryland teachers make less than 80 cents on the dollar compared to peers in similar fields with similar levels of education. Far too many support staff don’t make a living wage and must work multiple jobs to make ends meet. A statewide survey of educators in 2019 found that 50% of educators work a second job to make ends meet and 94% buy school supplies for their students out of their own pockets. Subsequent surveys have found similar results.
In recent years, the association has had success in setting the stage for improving salaries over the long term. The passage of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future during the 2019 legislative session led to the largest raise for educators since the 2008 recession. Since the passage of the Blueprint, salaries for certificated staff increased by roughly 15% statewide and salaries for education support professionals have also trended upward through strong contract settlements. The Blueprint funds will now continue to enable much-needed salary improvements for educators across the state, including $60,000 starting salaries for teachers and National Board Certification based incentives of up to $17,000 annually.
Compare Teacher Salaries by County
Source: Professional Salary Schedules, Maryland Public Schools (2024-2025). Bachelor’s Degree Step 1 is based on Standard Professional Certificate (SPC). Master’s + APC scales may apply to Master’s equivalent.