Delaware educators could see up to a 9% pay raise if Gov. John Carney gets his budget request for the upcoming fiscal year passed.
This announcement, made Tuesday, will likely be one of the cornerstones of the governor’s State of the State address this week. It also comes at a time when Delaware, like many other states, is struggling to retain teachers. And many are leaving for higher salaries elsewhere.
“We will not be outcompeted,” said Carney at Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary School in Dover.
“We want to attract the best teachers to Delaware schools and keep them here,” he added. “And the competition for those teachers is intense.”
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Right now, Delaware has the lowest average starting salary in the region.
The average starting salary for teachers in Delaware is $45,448, according to the Delaware State Education Association. In Maryland, it’s $48,510, which will increase to $60,000 by July 2026. New Jersey’s average starting teaching salary is $54,053, while Pennsylvania’s is $46,991.
At the beginning of this school year, about 5% of educator jobs statewide − more than 500 positions − were unfilled. It’s the result of long-term issues that have been brewing for years and became only worse with the onset of COVID-19. The pandemic led to a high number of retirements and an increase in student enrollment, with fewer college students entering the field.
Carney, in his 2024 fiscal year budget, plans to request an across-the-board 3% wage increase for all people working in schools. For those who work directly with children, these state employees will receive an additional 6% increase.
The governor also in his announcement pledged to increase opportunity funding to more than $50 million, which will go to low-income students and English learners at Delaware public schools.
More money will also go to the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, a governing board that plans to oversee and improve outcomes for children in schools that are within city limits.
In a brief interview following his announcement, Carney alluded to likely raises for other state employees, which he said will be announced during his State of the State address Thursday. He noted how the state is losing many of its employees to the private sector, including Amazon.
He declined to provide specific details but said it will be a “larger range than what I’ve seen in my 30 years of doing this.”
