Salary and Benefits
Earn what you deserve while doing what you love.
No other career offers more personal fulfillment, but teachers deserve financial security, too. Newark Public Schools offers a compensation and benefits package that rewards effective teachers, giving teachers the freedom to do what they love.
Earn what you deserve while doing what you love.
Our teachers receive one of the highest starting salaries in the country. For the 2019-20 school year, the starting salary for a teacher with a Bachelors in Newark Public Schools is $54,000, starting salary for a teacher with a Master’s degree is $55,000 and starting salary for a teacher with a Doctorate is $56,000. Teachers with more experience can earn more than $98,000! And unlike most school districts, we put our money where our mouth is when it comes to valuing great teaching.
LISTEN: Executive Director of Human Resource Services Dr. Yolanda Mendez discusses the quality of professional development in Newark Public Schools.
Benefits
As a teacher in Newark Public Schools, you’ll receive a robust benefits package in addition to your salary, including medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug plans. Teachers can select between two healthcare plans (HMO or PPO) for themselves and their dependents. Healthcare premium rates are determined by your salary and costs like co-pays are determined by which plan you select. For our prescription plan, you may pay nothing for generic drugs and $20 for brand drugs. And we cover the total premium costs for vision and dental benefits for teachers—that’s right, those are free! Additional benefits include:
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA), where you can set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible medical expenses
- TransitChek, tax-free commuter benefits for parking and transit expenses
- Voluntary Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Tax Sheltered Annuity Plans (403(b), 403(b) Roth, 457(b))
- LegalShield (Prepaid Legal and Identity Theft Program)
- 529 College Savings Plan
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Professional Improvement Funds, to attend conferences or classes aligned to your professional growth
- Career Advancement Opportunities
- Weight Watchers: NPS pay 50% of the Meeting + OnlinePlus Membership Plan or 50% of the OnlinePlus Membership Plan
- Peerfit allows employees to take classes at local fitness studios through the District’s Employee Wellness Program at no cost to the employee
“When you see a child’s life change because of what’s happening in your classroom, you just want more of that. You have that passion to make a difference, and you actually see it happening right in front of you, and there’s never a shortage of opportunities to do that in the classroom.”
Norma Ramos, 3rd Grade Science Teacher
Paid Time Off
All teachers can take up to 17 days of paid time off each year: 5 personal and 12 sick days, if needed. In addition, employees get up to 20 holiday and vacation days off during the school year!
Retirement
Newark teachers are enrolled in the New Jersey Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund. As a “defined benefit” plan, after a ten-year vestment schedule, retired Newark teachers can receive monthly pension payments for the rest of their lives. After three years, teachers can borrow from their pension account.
SUPPORT & COACHING
Professional Development
We take your growth as seriously as you take your students’. Whether you’re new to teaching or a seasoned veteran, in Newark, you’ll hone your craft with cutting-edge professional development at every stage of your career. From deepening your subject knowledge to learning how to connect academic standards to your students’ everyday lives, you’ll find opportunities that support your growth as a teacher. Our district-wide Leadership Institutes for Teacher Teams, for example, brings skilled teachers together in monthly professional development sessions. Those teachers then go back to their schools to share what they learned with their peers.
