In the mid 1980s, a starting teacher in Montgomery County earned just over $15,000 a year. A 15-year veteran with a master’s degree made about $28,000. Those numbers appeared alongside similar figures from counties across Maryland, forming a routine salary comparison meant to inform readers about current pay and pending contract approvals.
At the time, the differences between jurisdictions mattered, but they were relatively narrow. Most starting salaries clustered between $16,000 and $20,000. Veteran teachers of 15 years made it to the low to mid $30,000 range. It was a landscape where teacher pay varied by county, but not dramatically.
The clipping itself comes from Trish WS, who shared that she likely cut it out of either The Baltimore Sun or The News American during the summer after she graduated from college. It was not saved as a keepsake or a piece of history, but as practical information during a moment of transition into adulthood. Decades later, the yellowed paper reads like a time capsule, capturing a period when mid teen salaries were considered normal and long-term earnings capped out at figures that now barely register as entry level…