Posted on 06/17/2006 5:15:15 AM PDT by wintertime
One of the ongoing controversies in the public schools is the issue of teacher salaries. Teachers largely claim they are too low while taxpayers are equally vehement that they are more than adequate.
(snip)
Then there are the actual salary levels. Statistics in 2005 showed the average teacher salary in the nation was $46,762, ranging from a low of $33,236 in South Dakota to $57,337 in Connecticut. Even this ignores the additional compensation teachers receive as fringe benefits, which may add an additional 33% or more to the costs, primarily for very good retirement and health coverage plans. Further, averages include starting teacher salaries, which may begin at $30,000 or less, which teachers gladly mention, but ignore the high salaries of career teachers at or near the maximum on their salary schedule, important because retirement pensions are often based on the best three or so years.
(snip)
Last year, the New York State Department of Education issued a study that reported maximum teacher salaries in that state of $100,000 or more and median salaries as high as $98,000 per year. That is, there were districts, in Westchester County for example, where half of the teachers earned more than $98,000 a year.
A novel approach a few years ago by Michael Antonucci, director of the Education Intelligence Agency in California, compared teachers average salaries to average salaries all workers state by state. First prize went to Pennsylvania where the teachers received 62.5% more than the average employee. That difference is even greater when it is further considered that teachers average a 185 day work year while most workers put in 235.
(snip) Women who had been educators were 7.4% of the total deceased that year but 20.6% of them, nearly three times the statistical expectation were among the affluent few. Former male educators didn't do quite as well but even they were represented among the wealthy decedents by a ratio nearly 1.5 times the anticipated numerical ratio.
Translation: "I raised 3 children who were precocious geniuses, so I must be a whole lot smarter than any of you people here. NYAH NYAH NYAH"
"I raised 3 children who were precocious geniuses,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My children are NORMALLY bright. It is institutionalized schooled children who are abnormally delayed in their social and academic development.
Oh yeah, well one of my genius students (age 15) said to his 14-15 year old one night stand (while his girlfriend was in rehab for a brief spell) "What do you mean it's twins, we only did it once!!"
I swear to that comment and another teacher heard it in the hallway, as did all the other students around them.
Do you have any achievements in your life, other than your children, who apparently made it through elementary & secondary school in record time but took 5 and 6 years to obtain 4-year college degrees, albeit at very young ages?
70 grand per year for 183 days that average less than seven hours is roughly $55 bucks an hour. I love when teachers tell me how underpaid they are.....
I just checked you are not in California. My figures pertain to California only.
Thank you very much for your kind words. I must point out though that I am male not female. Hopefull that does not change your opinion of me. :)
Not in San Jose. The high schools are ugly. The only high in the area that is pretty is Los Gatos High School. It's older, probably built in the 30's and has beautiful Art Deco architecture with a beautiful front lawn.
In Dallas, they are acceptable, but nothing great.
In the newer communities outside of Dallas (Allen), they have beautiful high schools.
I admire the stand you've taken on principle. I too was raised that unions were a bad thing, and in my workplace I see more bad in the unions than in management. Sometimes someone deserves to be fired!
ell, most CEOs take more out of their companies than they deserve. The same is true of most people when they are the ones who hired the people who keep the books.
Really? Even though I live in a high-income area, I know a lot of people who work for less than 40k. Many people who don't work for government make less than that. They're above minimum wage, but not up to 40. Don't you know anyone who works in retail, or in the service industry? How about the tourism industry? On a slightly related subject, that's one of the things I find frustrating in rural PA - the state keeps telling the rural areas that tourism will replace all the businesses that are closing or leaving the state, yet few in the tourist industry make a living. Most jobs are part-time with no benefits, yet they tell us not to worry about the business climate...
my son is a teacher as well...his insurance for dependents is impossible to afford...his rewards aren't in compensation
thanks for devoting your career to an honorable vocation and I hope that your co-workers don't drive you nuts
My husband sold auto parts for 15 years, and was required to maintain ASE certification. He made $23,000 full time after 15 years. Clearly North Carolina is on the low end of the salary scale for teachers. Pennsylvania is at the top (that's in the article). I'm from PA, and I don't see increased quality teachers from higher pay - I see more people attracted to the union environment for the high pay and easy working conditions. Higher pay doesn't not attract more dedicated people, it attracts more people interested in higher pay.
That is putting it mildly. Teachers are well paid by any standard.
Not bad at all. And when you consider that she does not work a full year to get that salary, it is even more on an actual days worked basis. Not to mention great benefits.
Are you sure you are not on the wrong thread? Where they heck did that post come from?
Well, we just come at this with different experiences from different states. I know many states don't have generous teacher retirement plans. On the other hand, I live in PA. With the latest boost in state retirements (thanks to our greedy state legislature who voted it in for their own benefit) teachers will make the same in retirement that they will working. That means the average citizen making $34,000 a year (and that's actually household income) in PA who retires at 2/3 of their working salary will still be paying property taxes to support the average teacher making $44,000 a year (I think that's the PA state average) at full salary for the rest of their life.
There must be a happy middle ground somewhere...
For starters, because I pay the bill. Teacher salaries at $70,000 hit me much harder in the pocket book than does $400 million paid to one top exec at an oil company.
The oil companies salary, while excessive in my view, equals not 1/1000th of 1 cent of the price of a gallon of gasoline.
On the other hand, one of the largest budget items in my state is the cost of public education. The state tax on a gallon of gasoline amount to about 40 cents a gallon.
If it is a teacher posting this nonsense, then it is no wonder our children are having such a hard time with math.
I see why you quit being a lawyer. You are not very convincing.
I see the teachers go to school every day. It is about 30 minutes ahead of the students, if that. And they are all headed out of the school very soon after the final bell. I'd love to go against you in a trial with your contention that teachers put in 15-18 hours a day.
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