‘$53 a day’: North Carolina teacher posts paycheck on Facebook to draw attention to teacher pay

CNN ^ | 5/14/2018 | CNN Wire

[simpson96]

STOKES COUNTY, N.C. — A Stokes County man took to Facebook on Thursday to draw attention to low teacher pay.

In the post, Nick Cols said he has been teaching for 10 years and loves his job but is struggling because he only makes about $1,715 each month.

The English teacher said his hourly pay comes out to be $6.69 an hour, which is roughly $1 less than North Carolina’s minimum wage.

“I know some will look at this and speak to the fact that I get summers off. I do. I get two weeks vacation here and a week there. I do. All of that is true. I, however, do not get paid for those days,” he said.

He goes on to say he and his wife, who is also a teacher, are struggling and “cannot pay for anything.”

Cols continues to say he can’t afford to attend the May 16 rally in Raleigh where teachers are expected to protest at the General Assembly when lawmakers reconvene for the legislative short session.

During the rally, teachers from around the state plan to lobby the legislature for what they say are desperately needed new state dollars for underfunded school systems.

To attend, he would have to take a personal day and forfeit $75 from his next paycheck.

“I want you to see what the people who are educating your children are being paid. The people who are writing Letters of Recommendation,” he said. “The people who are giving them the tools to achieve things that most never thought possible. The people who give themselves daily to wide swaths of kids.”

[ClearCase_guy]

I’m in MA.
My property taxes are over $10,000 a year. They money goes to public schools, and I have no children in the public schools.
My town has a very big budget for local education. Millions and millions of dollars from property taxes.

The money generally does not go to teachers. My wife works with autistic children in the school system. Very low pay. No money for computers, copiers, substitute teachers. There is no money for anything.

Where do the millions go?

1) Pension funds for teachers who retired 20 years ago.
2) Administration costs — the Superintendent’s Assistant needs another Assistant, you know.
3) Some may go directly to the Clinton Foundation, you can never tell.

It’s a complete scam. I am 100% opposed to government schools.

[robroys woman]

Yikes, my SS payment will be considerably more than that. Not including my wife’s part. Sheesh.

[babble-on]

Something weird about that salary, I agree. Is he part time? He says he’s on an hourly wage and does not get paid vacation. I suspect he’s a substitute teacher or part-timer?

[robroys woman]

I graduated from high school in 1972. One of my teachers way back then said he drove truck during the summer. Makes sense. You “take the summer off” if you can afford it. It doesn’t look like this guy can.

[a fool in paradise]

Does the school janitor work for under $7 an hour? Is the school janitor out of work all summer?

There are other positions in the school if he just looks.

[Right Wing Assault]

I’d be surprised if that is really his salary.

$1715 a month would be very low for a first year teacher. This guy is in his 10th year? Very hard to believe. If so, they need to abandon ship ASAP.

[robroys woman]

Quit, and get a better paying job.

---

Yep. I really liked my job in retail. It paid $5 an hour (1978) so I got something better (COBOL programmer).

[Little Pig]

Since he gets paid for only 9 months, I’d bet that $1715 is 9 months of after-taxes and after-deductions salary spread across 12 months. He’s probably getting a gross monthly of around $3600 - $3800 for 9 months a year, which is around $35k. Yes, it sucks that he has to make that work across 12 months, but plenty of people do just that. Dollars to donuts he’s a Dem, so he supports every cent of the taxes they strip out of his check.

[a fool in paradise]

How much of his pay will be coming 20 years later for the rest of his life as a pension?

[pfflier]

His paid work "day" is 6 1/2 hours for 181 "days" a year.

By my calculations that comes out to $13.19 for each hour worked under his contract. If you normalize that over 365 days it magically becomes $6.59/hour but that is not the contracted amount.

Sounds like they are about to have an educators pity party strike like Arizona and Oklahoma did. That is the newest progressive cause.

Before you flame me I am a retired teacher from Arizona.

[Vaquero]

Washington comPost has NC teachers earning around $50000. For a 10 month season that’s $5000 a month. What is this guy doing wrong?

[MIchaelTArchangel]

What exactly was posted in the story? It says it is NOT A CHECK and that it is NONNEGOTIABLE. In short, we do not know what his pay actually is.

The purpose of personal day is supposed to be to attend professional workshops, to address family emergencies, etc. Does he expect the taxpayers to fund him attending a rally.

If he is really paid $1,753,00 a month, that is $79.68 a day based upon 22 work days a month and an 8 hour work day. If the “check” is for a biweekly payment, the daily rate is $159.36 a duty day. Both rates are more than the amount quoted. (I suspect the author of the article and the English teacher used a 30 day month and made an arithmetic error to make the monthly and hourly rate below the minimum wage.) I don’t know about you, but I don’t get paid for Saturdays and Sundays unless I work on those days.

If the teacher is upset at how little he is paid, he can find another job. But before he jumps ship, I would remind him and potential employers of two facts:

1. You get what you pay for.
2. If are not up to an private employer’s standards, you will—unlike in the government sector—get fired.

[Constitution Day]

Average N.C. teacher salary increases, 2015 – 2019

If the image doesn't show up:

2015: 7.0%
2016: 2.2% + a $750 bonus
2017: 4.7%
2018: 3.3%
2019: 6.1% (based on 2017 Appropriations Act)

[dsrtsage]

What percentage of your students can read at grade level or can pass a math test designed for third graders?

[1Old Pro]

$1715 a month would be very low for a first year teacher. This guy is in his 10th year? Very hard to believe.

Ooops, he forgot to disclose that he defers $18,500 per year in his 403b plan and another $6500 in his IRA removing $25,000 from his taxable income i.e. paycheck. Add to that his very generous DB pension plan and subsidized healthcare and he's gonna retire in the top 1%.

[pgkdan]

Sorry but I call B.S. on this guy’s story.

[Beernoser]

This is his net pay, not gross. He says himself that he takes out major chunks to pay for his daughter’s daycare and healthcare. I’m sure there’s lots more that comes out for his insurance and his wife’s, retirement contributions, and who knows what other benefits he’s chosen. Many teachers have money diverted automatically to his credit union for car loans, etc.

In fact, I make 1 million a month, but I ask the school district to divert 999,000 of it to pay for my polo ponies, eight mansions and my chef’s account. So therefore I only make 1 thousand a month so please feel sorry for me.

[Leaning Right]

> I’d be surprised if that is really his salary. <

He might be a substitute teacher. Some folks do that for a living. The average rate for a substitute in my neck of the woods is around $80 a day. It could be much less in NC. Take out taxes, etc. and your net pay could be less than the minimum wage.

[TalonDJ]

“To attend, he would have to take a personal day and forfeit $75 from his next paycheck. “

So he admits he is really making 75 a day.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Here in SW PA, $70K salaries are not unusual and $60K is about par for the course for a nine month a year job. There are few, if any, in the admin field who make less than $100K annually.

All of which is tightly controlled by the most incredibly corrupt hiring process this side of the Pacific. You either have to be related to somebody, be friendly with the right politician, or know to whom to make the kickback. Merit has nothing to do with it.