Posted on 05/25/2016 7:00:32 AM PDT by MichCapCon
An illegal sickout by members of the union that represents teachers in Detroit Public Schools shut down 94 of the district’s 97 schools Monday. Last weekend, the official appointed to be the district’s transition manager said it only has enough money to operate until the end of the current school year in June.
Teacher LaShawn Pope told the Detroit News that she has a master’s degree and signed up for 26 paychecks this year, not 22. “Before taxes, I bring home $1,400 every two weeks, so $1,400 times four checks is what I stand to lose before taxes,” Pope is quoted as saying.
ForTheRecord says: The arithmetic on Pope’s remarks works out to an annual salary of $36,400. According to a state of Michigan database, however, Pope was paid $45,014 during the 2014-15 fiscal year. The average Detroit Public Schools teacher earned $63,716 that year.
Now add in pension, health care and only working 9 months a year.
Easily up to $100,000.
Apparently she never learned economics. Bring home is AFTER taxes...
Busted! Let’s hope LaShawn isn’t a math teacher.
Health insurance, union dues, pension contributions -- all of which are mandatory -- can take a big bite out of a paycheck.
I read the entire article to see if the author took these into account, and he didn't mention them at all.
That is what she meant. Take home amount. She was just trying to sound intelligent by throwing in the "after tax" phrase.
Probably has 15% going into her 403(b), from which she will withdraw at retirement in addition to the taxpayer-funded retirement plan and social security. She’s probably making minimal contributions toward comprehensive medical, dental, free basic plus voluntary life insurance,vision, long-term disability, and long-term care insurance. She might also be putting some into a HSA.
> Apparently she never learned economics. Bring home is AFTER taxes...
You have to remember that this article is a melding of a journalism major and an education major trying to do simple arithmetic. Of course the numbers are going to be confused.
Let me guess, she teaches math.
“Let me guess, she teaches math.”
Of the Common Core variety.
She forgot she won’t have to pay taxes on salary she’s not paid, so she should look at the cut as a tax-saving device.
Common Core has got to go for sure.
She said ‘before taxes’...but not ‘before union dues’.
Yeah, she has a problem with her math and her understanding of stuff that happens with her salary prior to the disposable portion of it reaching her hands.
Still, she’s not that far off. That 15% should be taken out pre-tax, right? So it’s $6750 or so, reducing her pre-tax income to about $38,250.
I wonder how much non-tax money is taken out upfront too. Any idea what union dues would be?
MEA Dues are 1.5% of your gross income IIRC.
Other costs for her would be mandatory 3-4% retirement healthcare tax, depending on defined contribution retirement plan another 3-6%, Health Insurance costs based on MESSA rates around 500 per month for a couple a bit higher for Family plan.
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