Unsustainable: Public School Teachers Make Twice the Private Sector Average

Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | December 15, 2011 | Rush Limbaugh

[Kaslin]

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: According to a new study from the Bureau of Labor statics, public school teachers are now the highest paid state workers. Public school teachers. In fact, public school teachers receive more than twice as much in average hourly wages and benefits as workers in private industry, on average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public school teachers "are paid an average of $56.59 per hour in combined wages and benefits," which is twice the $28.24 an hour in wages and benefits paid to workers in the private sector.

Now, some of you are probably saying, "I don't understand, Rush. Why are you upset about that? I mean, I've heard you say that you're all for everybody doing well. I've heard you say you're all for everybody being as wealthy as they can get. Have you changed your mind, Rush?" No, I haven't. The problem with this is -- and I will say it again -- is that the people who earn $28 an hour on average are the ones paying the people making twice that. And we're not talking about evil CEOs. We're talking about these teachers' neighbors. With public school teachers we're also talking about a protected class of people. Whether you want to believe me or not, a sizeable portion of Obama's stimulus was earmarked for states to keep public employees on the job.

A sizeable portion of the stimulus was to make sure that teachers and other public sector employees did not lose their jobs. It wasn't out of compassion. It was pure politics. Every one of those teachers and every one of those public sector employees is a union member, and as such they have dues deducted from what they're paid, and those dues, as we know, all end up back in the coffers of the Democrat Party. And that is why the stimulus was structured so that public sector employees state to state would not be laid off. So the people who are earning on average $28 an hour are paying public sector workers $56 an hour on average, with the largest pay being for teachers. That can't go on. In any formal structure, that is not sustainable. I give you Wisconsin. And there will be other states. I give you the city of Detroit.

This kind of thing just can't go on. And that $56.59, don't forget, this includes pensions, lifetime health care that the people whose taxes pay these salaries are not given. They don't have lifetime pensions. They don't have lifetime health care benefits. They have to find that on their own. Now, while they have to pay for their own, they're also paying for the public sector union employees. So that's why it's just a little unfair, I guess -- let me throw that word in -- I like using that word. It's unfair. Well, the left likes to always tell us how unfair things are. This is the epitome of unfairness.

Now, let me add one more thing to this. In addition to public school teachers now being the highest-paid state workers at an average of 56 bucks an hour, according to the study by the Center on Education Policy -- which a nonpartisan think tank -- this year, "a record number of public schools failed to meet the adequate yearly progress benchmarks established by the No Child Left Behind Act." Forty-eight percent. For those of you in Rio Linda, it's almost half: 48% of all public schools in the country failed to meet the No Child Left Behind standards for reading and math proficiency.

So while teachers are making more than they have ever made with lifetime pensions and health care paid for by people who earn half what they earn, their job performance across the board on average -- on balance -- does not warrant this, in a merit sense. Amazingly (ahem), amazingly, Washington's public schools are ranked near the bottom. Eighty-seven percent -- 87% -- failed to meet the No Child Left Behind standards. In reading and writing and math, 87% of the students failed -- and we're not talking about standards that require you to be Mensa, here. Basically all you have to do is know how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich by being able to read "peanut butter" and "jelly" on the various labels.

Only Missouri, my home state can be did worse than Washington. That's right. Eighty-eight percent of Missouri schools are failing. You got me. Eighty-eight percent of public schools in Missouri are failing the No Child Left Behind standards, "even though, according to the Census Bureau figures in 2009, Washington is second only to New York in the amount they spend per student. New York spends $18,000 per pupil. Washington spends $16,000." I don't know what Missouri spends. New York: $18,000 per student; Washington: 16,000, and they're near the bottom in student performance. So we know it's not a problem of money. But yet remember now, item number one: Teachers earn twice on average what the people paying them via their taxes in the private sector are earning.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: By the way, by the way, that story I just had on the schools and how the students there are faring according to the No Child Left Behind stashing, that doesn't account for all the cheating that went on, for example, in Atlanta. For ten years, remember all the phony grades that were awarded by the teachers, or the waivers from the No Child Left Behind standards. It's pathetic! The state of public education is pathetic. I don't mean this as an attack on the individuals in it from the standpoint of teachers. I'm just telling you: The whole education system has been corrupted by liberalism. It's not even an education system anymore. It is an indoctrination, a series of indoctrination camps. It's not education. It's been totally taken care of and corrupted. I know so many teachers are activists, maybe more than I'd like to believe. They are legitimate liberal activists, disguised as teachers. But it is why so much insanity exists. It's why there's so little knowledge of the point of and the beauty of free markets.

It's a concept not even taught.

END TRANSCRIPT

[SkyDancer]

Okay, what’s the correlation? What’s the equivalent public sector job? Just wondering.

[SkyDancer]

Also: The article breaks down the cost per pupil. How much of that money is for administration costs? If teachers make so much money what is the school principal making? Toll booth operators in NJ are making $100,000. And school janitors in NYC are making more than teachers. Why single out teachers? Again, just wondering.

[Signalman]

And they’re doing such a “great” job too. In Los Angeles, the drop-out rate for hispanic high scrool students is 50 percent.

[NEMDF]

I think the teacher jobs ARE public sector jobs. ??

[Vigilanteman]

The equivalent private sector job for a teacher in a public school would be a teacher in a private or parochial school. You know, those schools which have to actually convince their customers to pay tuition when they are already paying property taxes for a free public education.

[vpintheak]

Yeah, but it’s for the children that they make that much! They work so much harder than the rest of us for 9 months out of the year to equal our 12 month totals don’t you know?

[SkyDancer]

Okay, I see the relevance there. What I’m saying is that there are other government jobs that pay way more than teachers such as those toll booth people who make upwards of $100,000 a year and school janitors in NYC who make around $80,000

[SkyDancer]

What I’m looking at is how unfairly teachers are maligned. Again I posted about toll booth operators making upwards of $100K per year and school janitors in NYC making almost twice what teachers are paid. How’d you like to be a teacher in a violent school district making $60k a year. Think it’s worth it? Just saying.http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=48128
http://www.thecitizennews.com/node/5446

[xsrdx]

A manipulated statistic, $56/hr most likely "part time" where 3-4 months of the year are zeroed out.

I don't know of many public school teachers making $116k annually, which is $56/hr full time.

Figured against 8 months, that equates to about $78k, still very high for a nationwide average.

Salary.com shows mid career teachers at about $48k annual locally.

[af_vet_rr]

Okay, what’s the correlation? What’s the equivalent public sector job? Just wondering.

I don't know, but I don't think it applies to all states. My daughter had planned on going into teaching here in Texas, and quickly soured on it when she finally realized the pay wasn't good, the hours sucked, and too many parents have a sense of entitlement in regards to their children's grades.

I should tell her to find out what states Rush is talking about and move there and teach, but she's happy teaching at a private school for now.

[pallis]

Most teachers would be very surprised to find out they are making that much money, even when benefits are included. Most Administrators would be frothing mad over the pay cut. Public school administrators are among the most overrated and overpaid people in the world, and that’s the ones who perform necessary jobs. A great many could be cut without any deleterious consequences to their school districts.

[Vigilanteman]

Point taken. And those jobs are even more overpaid.

When I was growing up, my parents both worked as faculty members for a small state university. Their work included research, writing, advising and, in my father's case, oversight of the livestock on the state experimental farm.

He worked 12 months of the year, mother worked 10. Neither ever made what the unionized school teachers in the local school district made in nine months even though they had longer working hours and a higher educational attainment.

I'm not whining. That's just an observation. And the gap has only grown worse in the quarter century since they retired.

[Carry_Okie]

A manipulated statistic, $56/hr most likely "part time" where 3-4 months of the year are zeroed out.

No, it's not. They have every opportunity to go do some other work during that three month period.

[SkyDancer]

I once dated a guy who was a school teacher. He slowly became very disillusioned with it. Through him I found out all about what it means to be a teacher esp. in NYC where gangs rule the schools.

[xsrdx]

They have every opportunity to go do some other work during that three month period.

Not at $56/hr. They might be overpaid, but an annual number would be more believable; too many variables in a "per hour" number.

[PENANCE]

Yes, that WOULD BE the equivalent. But Rush isn't comparing public sector TEACHERS to private sector TEACHERS; he's comparing public sectore TEACHERS to private sector EVERYONE. Apples to oranges.

And he claims that this disparity -- which he doesn't show in the first place -- is "unsustainable". Which only shows how challenged Rush is in terms of integrity, intelligence, and basic mathematics.

...

Sorry, I understand and agree with LEGITIMATE arguments that public employees, generally, often make more money than they should; but this is NOT a legitimate argument.

Plus, I'm very annoyed and disappointed (disgusted) with Rush lately; only in part due to his propensity toward this kind of LIE via statistics.

[SkyDancer]

I’ve noticed lately whenever there’s a thing about the cost of running a public school it’s the teachers salaries that always comes up; on how much they make for only a six hour day and work only ten months a year. Until people find out exactly how their salaries are paid out and the time they put in (upper grades homework correction, etc) and putting up with the snowflake’s parents during teachers conferences (after school BTW - own time) teachers are going to be the whipping boy for government excess - not politicians, not roads and grounds, not any other government employee.

[Vigilanteman]

FWIW, average public school teacher salary in our district in SW Pennsylvania is $58K per year for 9 months work. We're a fairly average suburban school district in this region. The average income around here is also fairly close to the national average-- most of us are, indeed, paying public school teachers more for 9 months of work than we earn in 12.

$58K per year for 9 months work does, indeed convert to an annualized salary of $77.3K or almost exactly what you calculated.

I'm giving teachers the benefit of the doubt here. Even though the shorter work weeks, longer school vacations during the year and other perks does, indeed, translate to closer to eight months of work, better teachers put in time off the clock equivalent to at least one extra month. By no means all of them, of course, but a significant number.

Bottom line is while what Rush is saying isn't popular, it is true.

[SkyDancer]

Same too of office staff. I don’t know where their pay is but I’d bet it would be up there as well. It’s always the teachers who get the brunt of public outrage at their salaries and how they’re paid (six hour days, ten months of work) - it’s always an eye opener when people find out the amount of time they put in without pay (evenings, etc) and that they don’t get a years pay for ten months work - a fallacy that’s been promoted over the years.