Part-time and Full-time employees

• The state of Illinois employs a number of part-time and full-time staff in the hundreds of schools found across the state. While part-time staff are paid hourly, full-time staff are paid a monthly or annual salary. Depending upon the nature of the position, part-time employees can be paid anywhere from the minimum wage for private and public employees in the state of Illinois, which was $8.25 as of publication. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, full-time employees are paid from $22,072 as of April 2011.
  
  

Teachers' Salaries in Illinois

• Because of the specialized training and responsibilities involved, teachers are usually paid much higher than minimum. For example, starting teachers in Chicago will earn a minimum salary of around $49,000 per year with a bachelor's degree and $52,000 per year with a master's in addition to pensions, health care coverage, and other benefits. With tenure and experience, teachers can expect to earn much more. As of April 2011, the highest paid teacher in Illinois took home $132,275 before taxes.
  
  

Principals and Superintendents

• The highest paid workers in the Illinois school system are principals and superintendents, who are responsible for managing and supporting teaching staff throughout the education system. According to the Illinois Association of School Boards, the mean salary for a school principal in Illinois was $86,855 in 2005. In the same year, superintendents earned $112,011 on average. These amounts do not factor in benefits such as medical insurance, pension and the use of company vehicles.
  
  

Administrative Assistants and Clerical Staff

• Administrative and clerical staff earn much less than principals and superintendents, but salaries will vary according to their status as salaried or part-time workers, the nature of their position and where they work. For example, a part-time administrative assistant in the Chicago Unified School District earned $9,616 in 2011, while another in the same district earned $46,854 in the same year.