Posted on 02/02/2007 5:20:28 AM PST by Zakeet
Who, on average, is better paid--public school teachers or architects? How about teachers or economists? You might be surprised to learn that public school teachers are better paid than these and many other professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, public school teachers earned $34.06 per hour in 2005, 36% more than the hourly wage of the average white-collar worker and 11% more than the average professional specialty or technical worker.
In the popular imagination, however, public school teachers are underpaid. "Salaries are too low. We all know that," noted First Lady Laura Bush, expressing the consensus view. "We need to figure out a way to pay teachers more." Indeed, our efforts to hire more teachers and raise their salaries account for the bulk of public school spending increases over the last four decades. During that time per-pupil spending, adjusted for inflation, has more than doubled; overall we now annually spend more than $500 billion on public education.
The perception that we underpay teachers is likely to play a significant role in the debate to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. The new Democratic majority intends to push for greater education funding, much of which would likely to go toward increasing teacher compensation. It would be beneficial if the debate focused on the actual salaries teachers are already paid.
It would also be beneficial if the debate touched on the correlation between teacher pay and actual results. To wit, higher teacher pay seems to have no effect on raising student achievement. Metropolitan areas with higher teacher pay do not graduate a higher percentage of their students than areas with lower teacher pay.
In fact, the urban areas with the highest teacher pay are famous for their abysmal outcomes.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Yes, they work 9 months out of the year, which leaves them 3 months to work another job if their teaching salaries aren't enough.
Here in the Cleveland area, the average teacher earns $54,000 per year. (This is according to a survey that the Plain Dealer published a couple of months ago.) According to the Manhattan Institute study, teachers here earn on average $38.86 per hour. That is pretty darn good no matter how you slice it.
It is completely fair! Are taxpayers supposed to pay them for the 3 and a half months that they don't work?
Moreover, the earnings data reported here, which are taken directly from the National Compensation Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, do not include retirement and health benefits, which tend to be quite generous for public school teachers relative to other workers
Here in WI many teachers pay close to zero for a golden cadillac insurance plan (conveniently provided without competitve bid by WEAC) with very low deductibles and copays PLUS they receive fully funded pensions. They are eligible for retirement at 55. And many of them whine like it's indentured servitude.
As someone whose property taxes have just gone up because of a school levy, I don't ever want to hear teachers complain about how they don't make enough money.
No matter which hourly figure one promotes, it's an attempt to slant public opinion. Look at the figure for the annual contract, and then decide if it's worth it to take on a task thta is virtually impossible to accimplosh.
The real problem isn't teacher salaries... it's the fact that the wage scale is based on time, instead of merit.
The real problem isn't that teachers aren't doing a good job... it's that bad teachers are virtually impossible to remove from the classroom.
The real problem isn't that teachers don't teach the basics... it's that they're required to teach towards standardized tests.
The real problem isn't that teachers are underperforming professionals... it's that they're the lowest-paid professionals with the lowest authority to direct their own efforts (which also does nothing to draw higher-qualified folk who are making far more in the "real world").
How the heck should I know???!!!
(It figures that I'd have typos in the last sentence that I add to the post! Dagnabbit!!)
I can agree with all points except the last one. Excellent teachers claim that ...well, teachers are excellent. And some are, but TOO FEW.
I have to disagree with a blanket statement on that.
However, i don't agree that teachers are the main problem, not at all. It's that cursed NEA and top heavy admin. grrrrr
You people all need a wake up call. These are college educated individuals. There are definitely some poor teachers. However the sad fact is that many people avoid or leave education because of the lack of funds.
My wife has taught 5th grade for 22 years in Leawood, Kansas. It is a school in a wealthy suburb so for the most part the parents and students. The hours and planning they have, especially with all the new testing , has them working much more then 40 hour weeks. It is funny that other professions with 4 plus year college degrees would be appalled at $34 dollars an hour but some how teachers should be "happy" with the pay.
I admittedly thought teachers were paid alright until I got a first hand glimpse with my wife. Today teachers also have to be part counsellor, deal with parents that "know more" then the teacher. Any problem the child has is "the schools" fault.
I am a big proponent of school voucher systems and making schools perform, thus the teachers. However all of you need a wake-up call if you think teachers pay is fair for their responsibility. Now if we could get the NEA out of the school system we would really be doing something!!!
You people all need a wake up call. These are college educated individuals. There are definitely some poor teachers. However the sad fact is that many people avoid or leave education because of the lack of funds.
My wife has taught 5th grade for 22 years in Leawood, Kansas. It is a school in a wealthy suburb so for the most part the parents and students. The hours and planning they have, especially with all the new testing , has them working much more then 40 hour weeks. It is funny that other professions with 4 plus year college degrees would be appalled at $34 dollars an hour but some how teachers should be "happy" with the pay.
I admittedly thought teachers were paid alright until I got a first hand glimpse with my wife. Today teachers also have to be part counsellor, deal with parents that "know more" then the teacher. Any problem the child has is "the schools" fault.
I am a big proponent of school voucher systems and making schools perform, thus the teachers. However all of you need a wake-up call if you think teachers pay is fair for their responsibility. Now if we could get the NEA out of the school system we would really be doing something!!!
WOA NELLY....... Let's consider the flawed logic here:
Teachers work (and are paid for) 9 months out of the year, not 12 (like most other jobs we are comparing it with.
So the teacher might teach 1,400 hrs in the year (40 hrs week times 36 weeks), while a worker in another job works 2,000 hrs in a year(40 hrs week times 52 weeks).
Let's say a teacher makes $47,000 a year, and you divide by the 1,400 hrs.... you come up with $33.57/hour.
But the other worker, working for $33.57/hour would be making over $67,000 in a year.
So saying that because the math shows a teacher makes $34.06 is deceivingly high. And I don't want to hear the argument that "well, a teacher can go get another job to fill the left over 3 months!" Sure, but will that extra job earn anywhere near $34/hr, NO! Teachers often have to spend a portion of the summer taking the courses they need to keep their certification and they have to foot the bill for those couses sometimes.
Then there is the other little matter of teaching jobs not having anywhere near the perks of the white-collar jobs the article wants to compare with. Teacher's health insurance is not as good, there are no 401Ks and stock options awarded, etc. And let me tell you... teachers do not get coffee break time, stand around the watercooler time, and lunch break time. They work from the moment they enter that door in the morning til time to leave... and often are expected to attend evening PTA meetings, sports events, club meetings, etc and these extra hours are not counted and not figured into that equation when they come up with the $34.06/hour.So many times they are working many more hours than they are getting paid for.... example, my son who teaches high school in Savannah area.... he is expected to cover the following duties over and above his school day: coach track in the spring and run the track meets, be at and do the scorekeeping for every football game, and every basketball game (and they had regular and JV teams for both boys and girls - 2 games each/wk, that's 8 games a week!) and they wanted him to take his turn driving the activity bus for spoting events as well. These NUMEROUS extra hours do not equate in extra pay at $34.06/hour.
So they can't get a summer job?
It's not politically correct to say that teachers are ever paid enough.
That's 10 months of work, not 9.
There's another month of holiday breaks which are in addition to the normal holidays.
AMEN... to what shoedog said. He is right!
In many schools, particularly inner-city schools, the high pay is justified. They call it combat pay.
Strange, my wife is a teacher (junior high special education), and she works 10 hours a day, for 9 months a year (approximately 40 weeks). That comes to 2000 hours a year. She makes about $19.00 an hour (rounding UP).
I feel slighted by this article . I made at least $79.00 as a teacher with medical, sick day accumulation, and a great retirement package to boot .
Uh, did you read the article? It would appear that teachers are not anywhere close to the 'lowest-paid professionals'.
If you were to add in all the extra hours most teachers spend on preparation and grading, etc., they would make far less.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.