Among the region's 98 school districts, Sweet Home tops Business First's ratings for teacher pay.
Projects Editor Scott Thomas says the rankings are based on five different levels of a teacher's career , including peak pay which in Sweet Home is $97, 567.
"We've got Sweet Home running number one. Williamsville number two. Both, obviously, suburban districts," Thomas said.
"But we've also got cities. Lackawanna is 3rd. North Tonawanda is 4th. Orchard Park is 5. And, as you go down the rest of the top ten, [there's] another city, Niagara Falls. So there's a real mix. [It's not] just suburban districts at the top of the pay scale."
Thomas says the rankings are geared toward the paper's primary readers, the future employers in the business community.
"A large share of them are also parents, so they'll have a natural interest of districts as well. And it's worth pointing out that education is one of the biggest industries, one of the biggest businesses in Western New York. So we're looking at the financials of districts much as we would the financials of companies."
The 2012-2013 Guide to WNY Schools comes out June 15th.