PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota teachers are among the lowest paid in the nation.
A new report by the National Education Association puts the Mount Rushmore State in 49th place.
The data shows the average teacher salary is about 50-point-five-thousand dollars.
New York pays its teachers the best at about 91-thousand a year. The average salary for teachers nationwide is just over 66-thousand dollars.
Meanwhile, the number of teacher openings through April in South Dakota was above 500.
The state had 515 openings as of the end of April, according to the South Dakota Associated School Boards. Last year, there were 520 openings.
The openings are in districts, both small and larger, around the state.
A count of the listings on the Rapid City School District website shows at least 23 openings for elementary teachers including two kindergarten teachers and four first-grade teachers.
The district had 10 middle school openings and at least 10 openings in the high school.
