Veteran Kalamazoo Gazette education reporter Julie Mack this week had a story published on MLive about teachers’ salaries, as public schools begin the 2015-16 academic year.

However, the data she compiled for average teacher salaries for Michigan’s 836 public school districts and charter schools was taken from the 2013-14 academic year.

Mack was careful to caution readers that some school districts have a larger number of teachers over 30 years of age, therefore more likely to command larger salaries.

The following is a list of 15 area school districts, including all from Allegan County, their number of teachers and average annual salaries of teachers:

• Wayland — 132 teachers, $53,810 average salary.
• Hopkins — 72.8 teachers, $48,771 average salary.
• Martin — 26.6 teachers, $53,698, average salary.
• Plainwell — 110.7 teachers, $63,187 average salary.
• Hamilton — 120.3 teachers, $62,825 average salary.
• Saugatuck — 43.8 teachers, $62,515 average salary.
• Otsego — 102.6 teachers, $56,407, average salary.
• Outlook Academy — 3.2 teachers, $55,687 average salary.
• Allegan, 113.9 teachers, $54,758 average salary.
• Fennville — 61.6 teachers, $50,817 average salary.
• Glenn — 3.1 teachers, $49,253, average salary.
• Middleville — 125 teachers, $63,719 average salary.
• Delton — 58.1 teachers, $58,202 average salary.
• Hastings — 118.7 teachers, $55,092 average salary.
• Byron Center — 162 teachers, $64,738 average salary.

The information shown above demonstrates Wayland has the most teachers except Byron Center among the 15, therefore it is the second largest district in the sample, in terms of population.

If the tiny Glenn District is set aside, Wayland’s teachers have the fourth lowest average salary among 14 schools, with Fennville, Martin and Hopkins coming in lower, but Martin only marginally lower.

Hopkins has earned the distinction of being the lowest of all 15 districts, at $48,771, according to the data presented.

Among the 836 school districts in Michigan, Wayland ranked No. 323 in per-pupil instructional salaries and benefits, Martin was No. 189 and Hopkins was No. 533.

Representatives from the Wayland Education Association for some time now have insisted Wayland’s teachers are paid the second lowest among schools in the Allegan Area Education Association (AAESA). They also have asserted Wayland administrators are among the highest paid, being the only district with as many as four administrators making more than $100,000 per year, including (as of 2013-14) superintendent, curriculum director, finance director and high school principal.

Former Wayland administrator Dave Britten, now superintendent at Wyoming Lee, reported, “Michigan had 22.6 students per teacher in 2013-14, which is the highest in the country. The national average is 15.9.”