Differential Pay: North Dakota

Analysis of North Dakota's policies

North Dakota neither supports differential pay by which a teacher can earn additional compensation by teaching certain subjects nor offers incentives to teach in high-needs schools. However, the state has no regulatory language that would directly block districts from providing differential pay. 

North Dakota may offer teacher signing bonuses for accepting positions that are unfilled 45 days prior to the start of the school year. To qualify, a teacher must be highly qualified and must not have taught in the state during the previous 12 months. 

Teachers who are National Board Certified are eligible to receive a $1,000 annual supplement. However, this differential pay is not tied to high-needs schools or subject-area shortages.

Citation

North Dakota Century Code 15.1-16-21; 15.1-18.1-02

Recommendations for North Dakota

Support differential pay initiatives for effective teachers in both subject shortage areas and high-needs schools.
North Dakota should encourage districts to link compensation to district needs. Such policies can help districts achieve a more equitable distribution of teachers.

Consider tying National Board supplements to teaching in high-needs schools.
This differential pay could be an incentive to attract some of the state's most effective teachers to its low-performing schools.

State response to our analysis

North Dakota recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.