REGIONALITY IN MINNESOTA-SCHOOL-DISTRICT TEACHER SALARY LEVELS

Previous studies have indicated that regional economic factors are a consistent determinant of teacher salary levels, producing the expectation that salaries within a definable region will be more similar to each other than to salaries outside the region. This expectation was tested using Minnesota salary data for 1990-91. An average of four teacher salary schedule steps was taken. The concentration of salary steps averages around the mean salary within regions was computed and compared to the rest of the state. The results indicate that regionality was not a determinant of salary levels in this instance. It is suggested that state school funding factors are operating to reverse regionality in salaries.