ARLINGTON--The retirement of senior teachers and the increase in the number of teachers at the lower end of salary scales made the increase in salaries fall below the Consumer Price Index(CPI) for 1996.

In its annual study of salaries and wages in public schools, the Educational Research Service found the predicted retirement rate to now be affecting salary costs. The average teacher salary for this school year is $39,580, a 2.3 percent increase from the last school year. The CPI for calendar year 1996 was 3.0.

The average entry-level salary this school year was $25,844. Average salaries differ substantially according to the area of the country, from a low of $31,930 in the Southwest to a high of $47,613 in the Mideast.

As had been true for the previous nine years, salaries of teachers in urban districts lost ground compared to those of districts in general. In this school year, they paid an average of $37,340, or about $2,250 less than the national average.

ERS attributes the loss of comparative salaries in large urban districts to their hiring of less experienced teachers. Because of enrollment growth and financial difficulties in urban districts, they have been hiring less experienced teachers at the lower end of the pay scale, according to ECS.

Nonsubscribers to ERS can purchase the study, which is published in five parts, from ERS, 2000 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201; 800-791-9308.