Our Nation’s Teachers Are Hustling to Survive

[dudley0]

Indiana passed a new starting salary last year of $40k for starting teachers. Want more pay? Get your masters or enough credits to be a masters equivalent. Cost us $10k out of pocket for an $11k increase in pay. That cost was covered after her first year. That will vary by district but it will be an increase in any district.

Not getting into the middle of this argument but the last sentence in this quote is not correct. My youngest works in a district where getting a master's did not increase the income. Fellow teacher is getting her doctorate and will get no increase from that either.

Again, not entering into a right or wrong scenario just stating the facts as I know them in this situation.

 

[bobzilla]

Not getting into the middle of this argument but the last sentence in this quote is not correct. My youngest works in a district where getting a master's did not increase the income. Fellow teacher is getting her doctorate and will get no increase from that either.

Again, not entering into a right or wrong scenario just stating the facts as I know them in this situation.

In the districts the wife has looked into moving that was the case. I assumed being the case in 4 districts it was likely to be the case in most. Apparently not. Thats supposed to be what the unions are for but they haven’t fought for employee rights in decades

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Link to starting, average, and maximum teacher salaries for every public school district in Indiana. Not many start at the $42k you mention or average $59k.

Teacher pay: Find the average salary in every Indiana school district | Indy Star Databases | USA TODAY NETWORK

See how different Indiana school districts pay teachers. The salaries are the minimum, maximum and average paid in each district to full-time teachers in the 2017-18 school year.

databases.indystar.com

Not sure I trust that. I did a quick check of the lowest starting wage they list, which is the Eminence school corp. They list it at $30k but the contract for the current year is $38k, and that is not including an additional $3.5k given to new hires and any teacher that doesn't fall in the bottom 2 levels of performance. So starting pay is actually 41.5k so very close to the $42k mentioned. Link to the contract. I wonder just how old of contracts they used for that list? ETA I see it now, 2017.

https://gateway.ifionline.org/public_download/cbr_contract_uploads/2021/8411_2618_2021.pdf

The next lowest they list at about $30.5k per the actual contract is a little over $38k minimum with a B.S. and no experience.

https://www.odschools.org/contract-information/file

Third lowest they list at $31.5k actual contract is minimum $40k.

https://www.usc.k12.in.us/Downloads/2021-22%20Teachers%20Contract-Signed.pdf

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

Not sure I trust that. I did a quick check of the lowest starting wage they list, which is the Eminence school corp. They list it at $30k but the contract for the current year is $38k, and that is not including an additional $3.5k given to new hires and any teacher that doesn't fall in the bottom 2 levels of performance. So starting pay is actually 41.5k so very close to the $42k mentioned. Link to the contract. I wonder just how old of contracts they used for that list? ETA I see it now, 2017.

https://gateway.ifionline.org/public_download/cbr_contract_uploads/2021/8411_2618_2021.pdf

The next lowest they list at about $30.5k per the actual contract is a little over $38k minimum with a B.S. and no experience.

https://www.odschools.org/contract-information/file

Third lowest they list at $31.5k actual contract is minimum $40k.

https://www.usc.k12.in.us/Downloads/2021-22%20Teachers%20Contract-Signed.pdf

Ahh, good catch. I didn't notice that it was that outdated.

 

[HoughMade]

Not sure I trust that. I did a quick check of the lowest starting wage they list, which is the Eminence school corp. They list it at $30k but the contract for the current year is $38k, and that is not including an additional $3.5k given to new hires and any teacher that doesn't fall in the bottom 2 levels of performance. So starting pay is actually 41.5k so very close to the $42k mentioned. Link to the contract. I wonder just how old of contracts they used for that list? ETA I see it now, 2017.

https://gateway.ifionline.org/public_download/cbr_contract_uploads/2021/8411_2618_2021.pdf

The next lowest they list at about $30.5k per the actual contract is a little over $38k minimum with a B.S. and no experience.

https://www.odschools.org/contract-information/file

Third lowest they list at $31.5k actual contract is minimum $40k.

https://www.usc.k12.in.us/Downloads/2021-22%20Teachers%20Contract-Signed.pdf

Sounds to me like starting teachers with a bachelor degree working 9 months get paid about what starting IT guys with a bachelor degree get paid to work 12 months.

 

[Shadow01]

First off, there are a lot of good teachers out there. There are also bad teachers out there. Same as with any employment career. Second, it’s a job. People every day make decisions to stay or leave over pay and existing working conditions. Evaluate your life and choose to stay or go. Don’t act like it’s a special circumstance that demands that all the deficiencies be met to your satisfaction just because it’s a teaching job.

I think all public education grievances should be put on the ballot and let the taxpayers determine the outcome. Remember, you are working for the taxpayers of your community. If that’s a pill you can’t swallow, there are 10s of thousands of private sector jobs out there that relieve you from being held accountable by taxpayers. I say this as someone that changed my employment after 25 years due to work conditions that I no longer was willing to tolerate.

 

[chipbennett]

First off, there are a lot of good teachers out there. There are also bad teachers out there. Same as with any employment career. Second, it’s a job. People every day make decisions to stay or leave over pay and existing working conditions. Evaluate your life and choose to stay or go. Don’t act like it’s a special circumstance that demands that all the deficiencies be met to your satisfaction just because it’s a teaching job.

I think all public education grievances should be put on the ballot and let the taxpayers determine the outcome. Remember, you are working for the taxpayers of your community. If that’s a pill you can’t swallow, there are 10s of thousands of private sector jobs out there that relieve you from being held accountable by taxpayers. I say this as someone that changed my employment after 25 years due to work conditions that I no longer was willing to tolerate.

These issues begin, and end, at the local school district/school board level. Show up to board meetings to voice your grievances - or better yet, run for the board.

The voters can determine the outcome by voting for board members. At the state level, the taxpayers are already giving over 50% of the state's general fund to K-12 education.

 

[bobzilla]

These issues begin, and end, at the local school district/school board level. Show up to board meetings to voice your grievances - or better yet, run for the board.

The voters can determine the outcome by voting for board members. At the state level, the taxpayers are already giving over 50% of the state's general fund to K-12 education.

There are also some state issues. HSE a few years back had money to build 4 new schools that they needed because of their growth but they didn’t have any budget left to hire teachers to staff them. The building fund and staffing funds are separate and couldn’t be shared at the time. Like build 3 schools and use the funding for the 4th to staff the 3 new schools. Can’t do it.

 

[chipbennett]

There are also some state issues. HSE a few years back had money to build 4 new schools that they needed because of their growth but they didn’t have any budget left to hire teachers to staff them. The building fund and staffing funds are separate and couldn’t be shared at the time. Like build 3 schools and use the funding for the 4th to staff the 3 new schools. Can’t do it.

It is still a local issue. I bet HSE, like the average school district in Indiana, uses roughly 2/3 of its K-12 budget on administrators instead of on teachers.