Somewhere nestled between Deepak, Paris, and that Awful Ann Coulter…
… I read an interesting post on the Huffington Post Blog asking “Who Killed the Teaching Profession?”
Journalist and author, Daniel Brook, explores why many people may not choose to become teachers because “… teaching doesn’t buy a middle-class lifestyle anymore.” In it, he describes stagnant salaries for teachers against the rising salaries of other professionals, the cost of housing, and even the cost of private versus public schools. These “rising economic inequalities” are what are keeping many individuals from filling those “thousands and thousands” of teaching positions across the nation.
What Daniel doesn’t talk about is how much it costs to become a teacher and stay a teacher. We have incredibly high expectations and requirements for teachers these days that, if you were to compare against almost any other profession, you would have to wonder what the return of investment really is and how our teachers are actually able to stay afloat in today’s economic inequalities.
I know how difficult it can be to work to your calling and struggle to make ends meet based on requirements of the job and salary steps. My grandmother and both of my aunts are teachers and they struggled to make ends meet their entire careers. There were many times when they had to take on second jobs just to make the rent. When I worked for B&N, I employed many teachers part-time who were struggling to make things work for their families. They were some of the best employees I ever worked with and always welcomed them back. I respected the fact that they’d just worked with kids all day and were working a 5PM to midnight shift at the bookstore. I don’t know how they did it but I could see how tired they were as the night wore on.
Next year’s pay tier is listed below (from the (PDF file) Albuquerque Teachers Federation contract) and, although it’s a little difficult to read, you get the gist. These numbers do not include any compensation differentials for things like coaching, intramural programs, Instructional Coaches, team leader roles, etc…
I think people forget all that our teachers do for our kids and our community. We’ve had a lot of controversy (GradeGate, fieldtrips, principal shuffles, NCLB, etc…) but let’s not forget that our teachers are required to know and do an awful lot and, even by the mildest of comparisons, are paid very little against their return of investment.
The least we can do is to evaluate them fairly, pay them fairly, provide a hassle-free work environment, support their decisions, encourage professional development (and give them the time to do it), and, as parents, work in partnership with them by being involved.
They deserve at least that much.
APPENDIX A
2006/07 SALARY MATRIX AT-1
LICENSURE LEVEL 1
TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS
AND
CAREER PATHWAY LEVEL 1
COUNSELORS, NURSES, SOCIAL WORKERS AND INTERPRETERS
PLACEMENT SCHEDULE
Step BA BA+15 BA+45
MA MA+15 MA+45 Doctorate
1 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
2-3 30,514 30,650 30,788 30,789 30,928 32,246 33,284
Step BA BA+15 BA+45 MA MA+15 MA+45 Ph.D.
4-5 30,800 30,900 31,200 31,200 31,500 32,500 33,500
6 $30,859 $31,000 $31,250 $31,250 $31,600 $32,613 $33,665
7 $31,006 $31,147 $31,288 $31,288 $31,700 $32,769 $33,826
8 $31,154 $31,295 $31,437 $31,437 $31,800 $32,923 $33,986
9 $31,687 $31,831 $31,976 $31,976 $32,121 $33,488 $34,568
10 $32,309 $32,456 $32,603 $32,603 $32,749 $34,144 $35,245
11 $33,602 $33,753 $33,908 $33,908 $34,059 $35,510 $36,653
12 $35,281 $35,780 $35,941 $35,941 $36,103 $37,642 $38,854
13 $35,986 $36,494 $36,658 $36,658 $36,993 $39,261 $40,472
14 $36,158 $36,658 $36,826 $36,826 $37,733 $40,043 $41,283
15 $36,331 $36,826 $36,991 $36,991 $38,213 $40,582 $41,815
16 $36,494 $36,991 $37,231 $37,231 $38,979 $41,396 $42,651
17 $36,658 $37,155 $37,754 $37,754 $39,502 $41,921 $43,177
18 $36,826 $37,319 $38,074 $38,074 $39,753 $42,169 $43,425
19 $36,991 $37,530 $38,838 $38,838 $40,527 $42,940 $44,254
20 $37,155 $37,800 $39,086 $39,086 $40,774 $43,186 $44,505
21 $37,530 $38,590 $39,856 $39,856 $41,548 $43,962 $45,278
22 $38,251 $39,255 $40,472 $40,472 $42,189 $44,556 $45,848
23 $39,252 $40,251 $41,534 $41,534 $43,189 $45,554 $46,847
24 $40,251 $41,255 $42,534 $42,534 $44,188 $46,556 $47,848
25 $41,255 $42,256 $43,537 $43,537 $45,168 $47,557 $48,849
26 $42,256 $43,255 $44,537 $44,537 $46,191 $48,568 $49,852
27 $43,255 $44,255 $45,538 $45,538 $47,193 $49,561 $50,852
28 $46,262 $45,256 $46,538 $46,538 $48,195 $50,560 $51,868
29 $47,289 $46,262 $47,538 $47,538 $49,194 $51,574 $52,890
30 $47,289 $47,263 $48,540 $48,540 $50,196 $52,593 $53,910
31 $47,289 $48,263 $49,541 $49,541 $51,200 $53,615 $54,930
32 $47,289 $49,263 $50,543 $50,543 $52,221 $54,634 $55,953
33 $47,289 $50,265 $51,554 $51,554 $53,240 $55,655 $56,974
34 $47,289 $52,209 $52,575 $54,524 $57,143 $57,958 $59,800
35 $47,289 $55,293 $54,524 $57,754 $60,522 $61,517 $62,811
46
APPENDIX A
2006/07
SALARY MATRIX AT-2
LICENSURE LEVEL 2
TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS
AND
CAREER PATHWAY LEVEL 2
COUNSELORS, NURSES,
SOCIAL WORKERS AND INTERPRETERS
EDUCATION BA BA+15 BA+45 MA MA+15 MA+45 Doctorate
STEPS
4 40,003 40,300 40,600 40,600 40,900 41,900 42,200
5 40,004 40,300 40,600 40,600 40,900 41,900 42,200
6 40,005 40,300 40,600 40,600 40,900 41,900 42,200
7 40,006 40,300 40,600 40,600 40,900 41,900 42,600
8 40,007 40,300 41,100 41,100 41,600 42,100 42,820
9 40,008 40,800 41,100 41,100 41,600 42,100 42,820
10 40,009 40,800 41,100 41,100 41,600 42,100 42,820
11 40,010 40,800 41,100 41,100 41,600 42,100 42,820
12 40,011 40,800 41,600 41,600 41,900 42,100 43,000
13 40,500 40,800 41,600 41,600 41,900 42,820 43,000
14 40,500 41,100 41,600 41,600 42,820 42,820 43,738
15 40,500 41,100 41,600 41,600 42,820 42,820 44,614
16 40,500 41,100 41,600 41,600 42,820 43,857 45,190
17 40,500 41,100 42,820 42,820 42,820 44,737 46,093
18 40,500 41,100 42,820 42,820 42,820 45,304 46,661
19 40,500 42,820 42,820 42,820 42,822 45,572 46,930
20 40,500 42,820 42,820 42,820 43,798 46,405 47,826
21 42,820 42,820 42,820 42,820 44,065 46,671 48,097
22 42,820 42,820 43,073 43,073 44,901 47,510 48,932
23 42,820 42,820 43,738 43,738 45,593 48,152 49,548
24 42,820 43,499 44,886 44,886 46,675 49,231 50,628
25 43,499 44,585 45,967 45,967 47,754 50,313 51,709
26 44,712 45,666 47,051 47,051 48,813 51,395 52,791
27 45,666 46,746 48,131 48,131 49,919 52,487 53,876
28 46,746 47,827 49,213 49,213 51,001 53,560 54,956
29 49,995 50,181 50,293 50,293 52,084 54,640 56,054
30 51,105 51,268 51,374 51,374 53,164 55,736 57,158
31 51,105 51,968 52,458 52,458 54,247 56,837 58,260
32 51,105 52,158 53,539 53,539 55,332 57,942 59,363
33 51,105 53,239 54,622 54,622 56,435 59,043 60,468
34 51,105 54,321 55,715 55,715 57,537 60,147 61,572
35 51,105 56,422 56,818 58,924 61,732 62,635 64,626
36 51,105 59,755 62,415 62,415 65,406 70,132 71,689
I am not surprised to find that people do not consider a teaching career due to the salaries.
Teacher salaries will never compete with other professions for as long as teachers have “summer vacations”. And the salaries will continue to be inadequate for as long as mortgages and car payments do not take summer vacations.
The teacher shortage however is not do to salaries.
We are creating more than enough teachers every year to keep up with retirements and normal attrition; despite the fact that they are well aware of the financial sacrifices that will be made.
We are understaffed because we cannot retain teachers. About 40% of teachers quit in the first two or three years; another 40% before seven years.
The real problem is the working conditions, both physical and philosophical.
Ched MacQuigg
June 29, 2007
Natalie:
I’d have to agree that in NM 2007 teacher pay isn’t the biggest reason people quit the profession. It’s certainly not the reason it was back in the 90s, when experienced ABQ teachers were making less than $30k (I still keep old 1996 pay stubs where I was getting $720 every two weeks).
As the previous commenter noted, the reasons now are more mental/physical. Finding a place of professional livability is hard, and the District & NCLB make that even harder.
scot
July 3, 2007
The other reason we teachers quit and are planning to do so is we are constantly put in a position to break laws (IEP laws) and break our moral codes. We are mandated to teach certain programs within a certain time frame. These programs are only Reading and Math and the “other” “non-important” subjects we are told, either directly or indirectly, that they do not really matter. This system only perpetuates institutional racism and institutional classism. Also, it perpetuates mediocracy, because these programs are focused towards the “general, on grade level” child (whatever that means) and not those who are struggling or overachieving. This trend towards inclusion (which isn’t even a legal term)in APS is grossly disadvantaging our special education children where IEPs are being tailored towards the school and inclusion and not the child’s individual needs. And IEPs are often times not even followed which is against the law! It’s disgusting how we are warehousing our children, stifling their creativity, and making them HATE school! And, quite frankly, I cannot stomach it any longer…While high standards for teachers is very necessary, how they are making us get there and not funding any of the initiatives that are coming from Washington, Santa Fe, and APS Board of Education is ridiculous and impossible.
a concerned APS teacher
March 3, 2008