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<p>DALLAS TWP. &#8212; Dallas School District teachers earned an average salary of $63,110 in the 2015-16 school year, making them among the lower-paid educators considering average years of experience.</p><p>The salary data compiled from the state Department of Education does seem to support the Dallas Education Association&#8217;s claim that its members are paid less than other districts.</p><p>The district&#8217;s salary matrix, which expired with the DEA&#8217;s contract in August 2015, remains one of the talking points of ongoing contract negotiations, along with health care and pensions.</p><p>The DEA went on strike from Nov. 14 to Dec. 19 as a result of a stalemate between the teachers union and school board.</p><p>On May 31, the union announced a new strike date of Sept. 5, the first day of school for the 2017-18 school year.</p><p>Comparing earnings from 2015-16 &#8212; the latest data available &#8212; Dallas School District educators are shown to have an average of 14.7 years of experience, the second highest among Luzerne County&#8217;s 11 school districts, according to statistics from the Department of Education.</p><p>Meanwhile, the average Dallas teacher salary was ranked seventh in the county.</p><p>Wyoming Area School District educators&#8217; experience topped DEA members with a mean of 15.4 years and an average wage of $63,816 for the 2015-16 school year.</p><p>Number crunching the salaries of other area districts revealed that Wilkes-Barre Area School District teachers were the top salary earners, receiving an average of $68,156, with a mean experience level of 13.8 years.</p><p>The lowest salary average of $60,556 was at Pittston Area School District for 2015-16. Pittston Area educators had a mean of 10 years of experience.</p><p>In the 2014-15 school year, the last year DEA members received a wage increase under the former matrix, Dallas had the fifth top-earning educators with an average salary of $62,810, ranking under neighboring Lake-Lehman School District, with an average wage of $63,179.</p><p>Dallas teachers had 13.9 years of experience, the second highest among local school districts that year. Lake-Lehman was fifth, with 13 years.</p><p>Under the expired pay matrix, Dallas teachers received raises for each year (columns) up to 16 years and for every six college credits above a bachelor&#8217;s degree (steps) up to 36 credits beyond a master&#8217;s degree.</p><p>The 2014-15 matrix started with a minimum annual earnings of $34,501 and would take an educator 15 years to reach a maximum pay of $80,866.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Dallas Education Association President Michael Cherinka, center, and fellow teachers applaud the support of a resident during public comment at a Dallas School Board meeting last fall. Salary information compiled by the state shows Dallas teachers are among the lowest paid locally, when considering average years of experience. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL111516DallasSBmeet_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Dallas Education Association President Michael Cherinka, center, and fellow teachers applaud the support of a resident during public comment at a Dallas School Board meeting last fall. Salary information compiled by the state shows Dallas teachers are among the lowest paid locally, when considering average years of experience. </caption0><photoCredit0>File photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Eileen Godin</p><p>egodin@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Eileen Godin at 570-991-6387 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dallas teachers ranked 7th in county in average salary earned in 2015-16