OK, so we know that teachers are very important to this nation. Every generation depends on a good education. However, teachers, excluding college, make amounts of money that would seem, to the average citizen, qualified for welfare. Of course, this is not quite true. They make, varying by the state/school, between 17,000 and 40,000. In schools in the least populated states, such as new mexico, make closer to 20,000 a year. This is very sad. Teachers are in high demand, but the pay doesn't quite seem to go up.

Politicians, almost all of them, have some issues about funding and education. However, i do not know any one that is FOR increasing taxes to pay teachers more. As a republican, i dont like paying high taxes. But when it comes to education of the generations to come, i will vote to pay more taxes to increase a teachers pay in all states. Personally, i think teachers should get around 50,000+. the pay should vary a bit to the track (ex. technicaly, college prep, honors, gifted, AP) and type of school (ex. Elementary, middle, high, kindergarten).

L. Zeved

Some hard data may be needed. I know in my local school district average pay is over 45 thousand with the top end being 60 thousand. There are districts in Illinois where pay averages much lower ( I think 30 thousand ) and much higher ( 75 thousand ).

I can not see pay averaging 45 thousand to be a deterent to pursuing a career as a teacher. There are problems with the union scale model for compensating. I hate seeing a new teacher who is clearly superior to a veteran teacher getting vastly less pay. There are ways to objectively identify superior teaching. These methods should be used partially as a means to determining compensation.

A big problem in politics is the use of education as a tool to get more taxation. Education should be the priority in state budgets. Politicians cut education first. This is done so they can justify the need for more revenue as they do not "have enough money to fund education". I believe such tactics are deplorable and vote accordingly. Unfortunately, my fellow votes in Illinois do not have such convictions and typically return incumbents to office and give them more money so they will fund education. It is an endless cycle of "bait and switch" where taxes increases to fund education end up elsewhere so they need more money.

Politicians do not support equal education for all. More money is provided to some areas than others, whatever area is considered to support their pary the most gets more educational dollars. Hence, dense populations areas get more money per student than rural areas. The funding per student in Illinois varies from a bit below 5 thousand per stundent to a bit below 20 thousand per student. Equal opportunity via education is not supported in the State of Illinois. I expect this is a problem nationwide.

This will not be changed as long as voters tolerate it.

All this comes back to effect teachers' compensation. Some teachers are being paid well and others not. It is a problem which can be addressed at the state level but somehow voters are overlooking these obvious problems and attempting to solve them via personal choices such as home-schooling, private schooling, or moving. Why they do not use their vote is unknown to me.

Teachers get paid summer vacation.

Teachers are in school the same time their children are, hence, no daycare before or after school.

A lot of the work is repetitive and done year after agonizing year, not too long before it's done by rote.

Considering the convienient vacation, the lack of having to pay for daycare for children over 4yrs old and the ease of the actual work after time goes by... I don't think they are doing too badly. They make enough to live, just like the rest of us.

Add into that many teachers are married and their income is supplemented or supplemental.

Edited to add:

I forgot the easy hours. Out by 2-330pm. Before rush hour traffic, before the grocery stores are busy, before walmart is packed. They have more free time in the evenings than your average 9-5'er. They go in earlier, but who has a "life" at 8am anyway?

Just my experience, but my teacher friends work well after 2:30-3:00. They stay until at least 5:00- 5:30, grading, preparing, staff meetings, parent-teacher conferences....etc.

Not all the time they don't... They can also grade and prepare at home. Around here, staff meetings take place during the day and they close school for it. P-T confrences are generally at the whim of a teacher.

Let me chime in on this one for a bit. I have some personal experience with this topic which may help.

My Ex-wife is a teacher. I know how much she got paid, and I know how much she REALLY got paid. Let me explain. NOTE - This is for Oregon schools, I can't tell you about your state, only mine:

If your state is anything like mine, teachers really DO make a lot of money. As a first year teacher in a new district, my x was making around 50k, with a total of about 3 years under her belt.

But why then, when it's time to pay taxes, do you only see 32k on your W2?

Because, teachers don't get paid for time they don't work. Here is the math:

Teachers make $50k for 12 months. But they don't work all 12 months. Add up christmas, spring and summer breaks, they only work about 9 months out of the year. So, we take 25% of 50k which is about $37, 500. Ok, thats how much they make in 9 months, but teachers actually get paid during the summer. So you take 9 months of pay, and stretch it out to cover all 12 months (thus, further reducing their actual paycheck)

In Oregon, teachers make decent money. But if they worked all 12 months like the rest of us do, they would see all of it.

--cheers

32K is livable though... it's not like our teachers are impoverished.

Question... why even say anything about 50K if they are only going to see 32K of it? I don't understand...