Measuring School Costs & Performance
West Shore SD Teachers' Salaries Are Above Average for Cuyahoga Co.
SUMMARY: West Shore teachers are very well-paid (Average=$93,700) when compared to Ohio ($72,859) and Cuyahoga County teachers ($89,297).
-
Average West Shore teacher’s salary is about $93,800, about 29% more than the $72,900 for Ohio teachers.
-
Total West Shore public school enrollment is 12,734 and number of teachers is 920.
-
When adjusted for annual workdays, average Cuyahoga teacher’s salary is about 50% more than the average BA educated Cuyahoga worker.
-
Teacher’s salaries are based on Ohio Dept. of Education data.
Cuyahoga SD Teachers' Salaries Are Well Paid Compared to Ohio
The ODE provides data on teachers' salaries, backgrounds and evaluations over 600 public school districts.
Cuyahoga teachers are well-paid (Average=$89,300) when compared to Ohio ($72,900) & average Cuyahoga worker with a college degree $65,700)
-
Average Cuyahoga teacher’s salary was about $89,300 in 2025-26. This was about 25% more than the $72,900 for Ohio teachers, according to ODE data.
-
Average Cuyahoga teacher’s salary is about 36% more than the $65,700 for average BA educated Cuyahoga worker.
-
When adjusted for workdays, average Cuyahoga teacher’s salary is about 50% more than the average BA educated Cuyahoga worker.
-
Benefits, pensions and probability of layoffs are better for teachers than other workers, but data is not available.
Very few teachers were evaluated as ineffective. Out of about 9,000 teachers employed in Cuyahoga school district, less than 25 were evaluated as ineffective.
Cuyahoga Co. Public School Proficiency Test Results
Overall Proficiency Results for 2023-24 School Year Were Not Encouraging
The 2023-24 proficiency test results for the 31 public school districts in Cuyahoga County didn't support community aspirations for a well-trained workforce.
About 56% of the county's 128,000 public school students in 3rd grade to high school were estimated to be proficient while 44% scored below 60. Twelve of the county's 31 districts averaged below 60 on the tests.
For more information, read the PDF. It summarizes results for 31 districts and 309 school buildings.
My Views on Schools
My concerns about local schools are primarily focused on transparency, performance tracking, and addressing the gap between high educational spending and low proficiency results.
1. Transparency & Performance Tracking- I support a "Scoreboard" approach to help citizens evaluate how well their tax dollars are being used.
-
Proficiency Analysis: He highlights that in the 2023-24 school year, only 56% of students in the county’s 31 public districts were estimated to be proficient.
-
District Accountability: He points out that 12 of the 31 districts averaged below 60 on proficiency tests, arguing that "normal" performance is insufficient for the county’s economic growth.
2. Fiscal Evaluation of Education- The results for many districts do not justify the high cost of the current operations:
-
Teacher Salaries: The median salary for teachers in Cuyahoga County ($76,176 in 2019) is significantly higher than the state median ($58,465), yet student outcomes in many districts remain "not encouraging."
-
Evaluation Reform: The current evaluation system for teachers is meaningless since out of over 9,000 teachers, only 17 were evaluated as "ineffective" despite the poor overall test results.
3. Economic Alignment- My goal is to ensure that the public school system produces a well-trained workforce. I believe that the current lack of proficiency among students handicaps Cuyahoga County’s economic growth. The proficiency problems makes workforce development programs less effective and the region less competitive for businesses.
Cuyahoga County has 31 Public School Districts
A Return to "Normal" Public Schools Is Not Enough
(Crain's Cleveland Business, March 7, 2022)
The 2020-21 school year was dismal for public education in Cuyahoga County as schools were buffeted by the COVID pandemic and social and political currents.
Most parents and the public hoped that schools would return to "normal" for the county's 130,000 public school students this year, but even if COVID disruptions fade in spring, the public schools' "normal" performance fails to prepare many students for the future and handicaps Cuyahoga County's economic growth.
