Teacher Salary & Benefits in Minnesota

Your school district’s health plan will typically cover medical, dental, vision and other insurance for you and your family.

Most professionals work roughly 230 days per year, whereas teachers typically work around 180 days! Vacation days will vary by school district, but you can generally expect: 

• Spring break
• December holiday break
• National holidays off
• Paid personal & sick days during the school year
• Time off during the summer. Teachers use this time to travel, explore professional development, relax or work elsewhere. Some districts offer summer positions for teachers, such as summer school or curriculum development jobs.

In Minnesota, you’ll receive a retirement plan through the Teachers Retirement Association of Minnesota, which provides pension coverage.

To qualify for full benefits, you must meet specific age and service requirements:

• You can retire with benefits starting at age 55. However, in Minnesota, 65 is considered the “normal retirement age.” That means if you retire before you turn 65, your retirement benefits will be reduced.
• If you retire at 62 and have 30 years of service, you’ll have less of a reduction to your retirement benefits. 
• You can retire with full benefits at age 65. 

How does teacher retirement work?

During your teaching years, you’ll contribute some of your salary to the Teachers Retirement Association of Minnesota. Your employer also contributes to the statewide fund.

Your contributions, your employer’s contributions and the contributions of other Minnesota employees earn interest over time. Those contributions add up, so you’ll get a guaranteed monthly pension payment for the duration of your retirement — also known as a defined benefit pension plan. (2)

Stepping into a classroom could mean stepping out of debt. Loan forgiveness programs cancel your remaining student loans — meaning you don’t have to pay them back! — if you commit to teaching for several years.

Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program 

Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program provides teachers in high-need positions, such as childhood and special education, with repayment of any principal and reasonable interest accumulated on federal loans.

To qualify you’ll need to:

• Teach in a rural school district or a license-shortage area
• Hold a teaching license issued by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board
• Be employed by a school district to provide classroom instruction in their license area
• Have outstanding qualified educational loan debt not in default; and
• Belong to a racial or ethnic group underrepresented in the Minnesota teacher workforce

Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program

The Federal Student Aid Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program helps public school teachers with federal student loans.

Teachers in certain shortage areas, including math, science and special education can receive up to $17,500 in forgiven loans. If you teach a different subject, you can still get up to $5,000! To qualify, you’ll need to:

• Have a federal Direct Loan or Stafford Loan.
• Teach in a school that serves low-income students.
• Teach full-time for five consecutive academic years.
• Have taken out your loans before the end of your five years of service.

Perkins Loan Forgiveness

You can get 100% of your Perkins loans forgiven if you teach for five years!

You’ll need to:

• Have a federal Perkins loan. 
• Teach in a school that serves low-income students.
• Teach in a state-designated shortage area.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

If you work full-time in a public service field — like teaching! — for 10 years, you can get your remaining student loans forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

To qualify, you’ll need to:

• Have a federal Direct Loan, or consolidate your other federal loans into a Direct Loan. 
• Work full-time (at least 30 hours a week).
• Make 120 on-time payments while you’re employed full-time.

Buying a house is expensive, but there are resources to find a home in the community where you teach:

Good Neighbor Next Door

The federal government created Good Neighbor Next Door to contribute to community revitalization and to support people in service professions (like teaching).

Good Neighbor Next Door offers a discount of 50% from the list price of qualifying homes. The home inventory changes weekly — so if you don’t see something in your area right away, it’s worth checking back!

Teacher Next Door: Minnesota

Teacher Next Door helps classroom teachers become homeowners in the communities where they work. The program offers a wide range of support, including:

• Housing grants (up to $8,000) 
• Down payment assistance (up to $15,000) 
• Home loans
• Preferred interest rates

Want to continue your teacher education? Many school districts offer tuition reimbursement and professional development funds, for things like conferences or trainings.

Building your skills can increase your knowledge and your pay. It also helps districts retain top-notch educators — so it’s a win-win for everyone.