...and the dirty little secret is that if you do report $31k, you get a HUGE windfall from the IRS in the form of the ‘Earned’ Income Credit.
Below is a hundred or so salaries from my daughters school district. The only salaries I found below 40k were janitors, lunch ladies, bus drivers and first year grads were at 34k to 40k. seems that in year two of teaching you get a large raise. These union people are full of it. i removed the names and the name of the school as well. Just note this is a small county I live in. Very rural area. I’m sure when you get close to larger cities the salaries are increased.
http://www.open.georgia.gov/sta/entryPoint.aud
SUPERINTENDENT $118,055.98
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $102,844.56
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $102,713.70
PRINCIPAL $102,228.98
PRINCIPAL $100,108.12
PRINCIPAL $99,523.00
ELEMENTARY COUNSELOR $98,427.14
GRADE 7 TEACHER $97,813.64
FINANCE/BUSINESS SERVICE MGR $97,154.98
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $95,951.00
PRINCIPAL $95,505.91
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $93,531.79
DEPUTY/ASSOC/ASSISTANT SUPT $92,642.04
PRINCIPAL $91,416.04
GRADE 6 TEACHER $90,011.26
PRINCIPAL $88,550.25
DEPUTY/ASSOC/ASSISTANT SUPT $88,129.98
DEPUTY/ASSOC/ASSISTANT SUPT $88,129.98
TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST $88,129.98
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $87,950.41
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $87,730.54
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $87,424.03
SPECIAL EDUCATION DIRECTOR $85,740.99
GRADE 5 TEACHER $84,794.88
PRINCIPAL $84,510.38
PRINCIPAL $83,786.05
PRINCIPAL $83,633.16
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $83,031.68
EIP 4TH AND 5TH GRADE TEACHER $82,813.64
LITERACY COACH $82,185.80
GRADE 6 TEACHER $82,185.80
HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR $80,915.00
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $80,411.76
EIP 4TH AND 5TH GRADE TEACHER $80,348.00
VOCATIONAL $79,923.00
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $79,365.05
GRADE 2 TEACHER $79,093.84
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $78,580.50
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $78,256.40
HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR $77,503.52
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $76,772.80
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $76,124.13
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $75,928.05
YOUNG FARMER TEACHER $75,869.02
LIBRARIAN/MEDIA SPECIALIST $75,272.80
GRADE 8 TEACHER $75,272.80
PRINCIPAL $75,048.37
MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELOR $75,038.64
GRADE 1 TEACHER $75,011.26
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $74,413.45
VOCATIONAL $74,193.46
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $73,955.19
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $72,825.82
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $72,732.29
FOOD SERVICE ADMINISTRATOR $72,530.04
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $72,474.54
LITERACY COACH $72,400.64
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $72,283.96
VOCATIONAL $71,875.61
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $71,230.34
LITERACY COACH $71,225.55
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $71,017.34
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $70,856.60
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $70,513.64
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL $69,734.00
GRADE 6 TEACHER $69,402.59
GIFTED ELEMENTARY TEACHER P-5 $69,220.08
VOCATIONAL $69,090.84
GRADE 5 TEACHER $68,976.14
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $68,932.66
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $68,897.14
MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPLOR TEACHER $68,813.80
GRADE 8 TEACHER $68,813.60
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST $68,765.54
GRADE 2 TEACHER $68,701.14
GRADE 3 TEACHER $68,581.39
GIFTED ELEMENTARY TEACHER P-5 $68,496.00
MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELOR $68,475.30
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $68,388.18
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $68,351.14
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $68,313.68
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $68,258.64
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $68,138.64
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $68,054.28
GRADE 5 TEACHER $67,963.64
VOCATIONAL $67,813.84
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $67,813.84
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADE 2 TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADE 1 TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADE 6 TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADE 2 TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADE 4 TEACHER $67,813.64
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADE 2 TEACHER $67,813.64
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $67,813.64
GRADE 6 TEACHER $67,813.64
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $67,813.48
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $67,750.56
GRADE 5 TEACHER $67,599.30
GRADE 3 TEACHER $67,549.30
GIFTED ELEMENTARY TEACHER P-5 $67,474.30
GRADE 2 TEACHER $67,474.30
GIFTED ELEMENTARY TEACHER P-5 $67,474.30
GRADE 2 TEACHER $67,474.30
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $67,261.67
MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPLOR TEACHER $66,725.52
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $66,577.96
ELEMENTARY COUNSELOR $66,569.22
LITERACY COACH $66,528.10
LITERACY COACH $66,003.10
LITERACY COACH $66,002.98
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $65,936.18
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $65,838.68
GRADE 4 TEACHER $65,838.50
GRADE 4 TEACHER $65,758.99
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $65,683.84
GIFTED ELEMENTARY TEACHER P-5 $65,508.84
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $65,508.84
GRADE 4 TEACHER $65,508.66
LITERACY COACH $65,276.56
HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR $65,232.24
EARLY INTERVENTION PRIMARY TEACHER $64,945.17
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $64,704.98
VOCATIONAL $64,379.21
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $64,138.60
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $64,109.19
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $63,920.64
ELEMENTARY COUNSELOR $63,920.44
GRADE 7 TEACHER $63,920.44
GRADE 4 TEACHER $63,920.44
GRADE 8 TEACHER $63,920.44
ESOL TEACHER $63,920.44
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $63,818.80
TEACHER OF SEVERE INTELLECTUAL $63,783.28
GRADE 3 TEACHER $63,750.60
GRADE 6 TEACHER $63,600.60
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $63,600.60
GRADE 4 TEACHER $63,600.60
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $63,600.60
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $63,592.96
VOCATIONAL $63,348.12
LITERACY COACH $63,190.00
GRADE 5 TEACHER $63,133.16
LITERACY COACH $63,124.60
GRADE 3 TEACHER $63,118.36
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $62,957.84
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $62,919.60
GRADE 4 TEACHER $62,884.00
GRADE 2 TEACHER $62,437.71
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $62,411.26
GRADE 7 TEACHER $62,401.68
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $62,386.32
INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST P-8 $62,383.22
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $62,373.34
LITERACY COACH $62,182.78
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $62,073.34
GRADE 4 TEACHER $62,059.00
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER $62,059.00
VOCATIONAL $62,059.00
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $62,059.00
VOCATIONAL $61,998.34
GRADE 2 TEACHER $61,748.34
TEACHER OF HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENT $61,748.34
GRADE 4 TEACHER $61,748.34
TEACHER OF ORTHOPEDIC IMPAIRED $61,748.34
LIBRARIAN/MEDIA SPECIALIST $61,638.05
GRADE 5 TEACHER $61,606.62
GRADE 2 TEACHER $61,509.32
GRADE 8 TEACHER $61,461.26
SPECIAL EDUCATION INTERRELATED $61,461.14
EIP 4TH AND 5TH GRADE TEACHER $61,176.64
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $61,076.96
VOCATIONAL $61,038.90
GRADE 2 TEACHER $60,943.46
LIBRARIAN/MEDIA SPECIALIST $60,710.90
GRADES 9-12 TEACHER $60,663.54
GRADE 4 TEACHER $60,504.01
GRADE 7 TEACHER $60,261.26
Master’s degrees are getting pretty common out there these days.
Where I come from, this is called “bullcrap”.
Elementary ed. teachers get over $40,000 per year in my area, and this is the middle of nowhere.
I know some Michigan teachers.
Salary in lower 40s (in a cost of living area way above NC or GA) for teachers without tenure and with ten years of experience.
Their pay has gone down three years in row as train wrecks of union / legislature / district budgets are avoided.
It now takes ten years to get tenure if you didn’t have it before last year due legislature and district in-fighting for cost. That means you are working for NO retirement as it is all cliff vesting.
These include people with triple majors, highly educated in the sciences but without advanced degrees.
One I know pays for one dependent child healthcare coverage at about $200 per month which puts a lie to the legend that they get monster coverage for free.
I will grant that there are areas elsewhere where the salaries and benefits are criminal, but I don’t think Michigan in general outside of the big Detroit suburbs and urban core are going to serve as examples of such if you do the research.