[quote=“hootie, post:40, topic:29563”]Teachers in NC are woefully underpaid for the imporatance of their position and impact they have on society. There is absolutely zero incentve for a high perfroming student to get into the education field at this time.
The current people in power are doing their level best to eviscerate Public Education and privitize it.[/quote]
…apparently! :))
[quote=“hootie, post:40, topic:29563”]Teachers in NC are woefully underpaid for the imporatance of their position and impact they have on society. There is absolutely zero incentve for a high perfroming student to get into the education field at this time.
The current people in power are doing their level best to eviscerate Public Education and privitize it.[/quote]
Agreed wholeheartedly. The reality is most folks regardless of the lip service they give it, don’t really care about education. At the same time they wonder why kids from other countries are smarter and getting all of the new economy jobs.
I guarantee you no one who is pointing at the remarkably high unemployment rate and out of the workforce numbers of the least educated wants to pony up and pay teachers better. They want to use it as a political talking point.
[quote=“49RFootballNow, post:41, topic:29563”][quote=“hootie, post:40, topic:29563”]Teachers in NC are woefully underpaid for the imporatance of their position and impact they have on society. There is absolutely zero incentve for a high perfroming student to get into the education field at this time.
The current people in power are doing their level best to eviscerate Public Education and privitize it.[/quote]
…apparently! :))[/quote]
Thanks for pointing it out- my bad. For the record, I did misspell privatize, the others were typo’s. I’ll watch your posts a little closer…
Yes, this is exactly the point------------- as I attempted to say in my 10:19 post above. Our teachers should be paid more, but its not as bad as some pretend.
[quote=“hootie, post:43, topic:29563”][quote=“49RFootballNow, post:41, topic:29563”][quote=“hootie, post:40, topic:29563”]Teachers in NC are woefully underpaid for the imporatance of their position and impact they have on society. There is absolutely zero incentve for a high perfroming student to get into the education field at this time.
The current people in power are doing their level best to eviscerate Public Education and privitize it.[/quote]
…apparently! :))[/quote]
Thanks for pointing it out- my bad. For the record, I did misspell privatize, the others were typo’s. I’ll watch your posts a little closer…[/quote] Hey, anyone who correctly uses and spells “eviscerate” is OK in my estimation.
If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?
I have been teaching for 5 years, and throughout that time I have had several teachers with 20+ years experience tell me that I really need to get out while I can. I know a lot of great teachers who have left in the last couple of years. The state is going to be dealing with a crisis in the near future.
[quote=“Charlotte2002, post:46, topic:29563”]If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?[/quote]
I usually stay away from political stuff on NN.N because, well, because I don’t really want to despise any of you guys but here goes…
I agree with the bolded above; however, that would have to be funded somehow. Do you think people would go for something like much higher property taxes to fund higher teacher salaries, etc? IMO, I think some funding could come from cutting the high administrative salaries and passing that on to the teachers but that would be just a drop in the bucket.
[quote=“VA49er, post:49, topic:29563”][quote=“Charlotte2002, post:46, topic:29563”]If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?[/quote]
I usually stay away from political stuff on NN.N because, well, because I don’t really want to despise any of you guys but here goes…
I agree with the bolded above; however, that would have to be funded somehow. Do you think people would go for something like much higher property taxes to fund higher teacher salaries, etc? IMO, I think some funding could come from cutting the high administrative salaries and passing that on to the teachers but that would be just a drop in the bucket.[/quote]
That is true - the money has to come from somewhere. I think the big point is where is education in the priority of the state? During the recession other states maintained their pay and numbers and some even continued with scheduled pay raises. Other states went to education to slash and make the budget work - one of those being NC. It just signifies the difference between state priorities.
As the artcile above points out NC is going to hit a wall if things keep going this way. You can not continue to raise college tuitition and then significantly undervalue a state paid career that requires that very education. Killing the teaching fellows program has really hit the numbers of incoming students.
[quote=“JediWupAss, post:50, topic:29563”][quote=“VA49er, post:49, topic:29563”][quote=“Charlotte2002, post:46, topic:29563”]If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?[/quote]
I usually stay away from political stuff on NN.N because, well, because I don’t really want to despise any of you guys but here goes…
I agree with the bolded above; however, that would have to be funded somehow. Do you think people would go for something like much higher property taxes to fund higher teacher salaries, etc? IMO, I think some funding could come from cutting the high administrative salaries and passing that on to the teachers but that would be just a drop in the bucket.[/quote]
That is true - the money has to come from somewhere. I think the big point is where is education in the priority of the state? During the recession other states maintained their pay and numbers and some even continued with scheduled pay raises. Other states went to education to slash and make the budget work - one of those being NC. It just signifies the difference between state priorities.
As the artcile above points out NC is going to hit a wall if things keep going this way. You can not continue to raise college tuitition and then significantly undervalue a state paid career that requires that very education. Killing the teaching fellows program has really hit the numbers of incoming students. [/quote]
The crazy thing is that the same General Assembly that killed that program because it was expensive and did not guarantee long term retention are now looking to bring back something similar that would award more money ($8,500) annually to twice as many students (1000) a year.
I am actually alright with my salary as a secondary math teacher. I work a part time job on the side and get to be in a rewarding career. Teacher salary is important, but it has taken a lot away from the debate of what is best for the students. I am teaching a flawed common core curriculum, pressured by high stakes testing, and have much less instructional support than in the past. I have taught the last three years without a textbook aligned to my curriculum and the science books are a decade old which makes a lot of the information dated or incorrect. I am alright with being judged by how my students test, but I feel like they are being set up for failure due to these issues. Enjoyed reading this thread during my planning period.
Great additions! Also things I have heard from my wife.
I’m a teacher in my 8th year (started in 2005, took two years off along the way for full-time graduate school). I’m at a charter school in RTP; since we’re a charter, we don’t exactly follow the state pay scale, although it closely mirrors the Wake County scale. I’m the athletic director and teach an abbreviated course load as a result (2 sections of AP U.S. History). My salary is public record, so I don’t mind saying that it’s about $45,000 annually - 7 years of experience + masters degree + AD stipend.
No one goes into teaching to get rich, and I’m lucky that my wife is a private sector scientist who is the breadwinner - we still need my salary, though. The #1 complaint among most teachers I know and work with isn’t just the low pay - it’s the fact that teachers are asked to do more than they ever have before, with no increase in pay. It’s the opposite trajectory of what anyone wants in their career. And yes, there are 8 weeks during the summer where class isn’t in session, but a significant number of teachers spend most of the summer attending or presenting at conferences, working on their curriculums, etc., so that blows part of that argument out of the water; furthermore, all those school-related things during the summer also make it harder to find a part-time summer job. I’m at school at least 3 days a week during the summer for AD commitments, but I’m not paid for that; guidance counselors who are at school working on schedules and meeting with students aren’t paid for that either.
The N.C. Teaching Fellows program, from which I graduated, was one of the best teacher-recruitment tools out there, and it’s criminal that it was taken away. I used to have multiple students every year that wanted to go to college for education majors; I haven’t had one in two years now. The demonization of the profession goes a long way toward that; I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to take a job that’s going to subject them to ridicule from politicians who want to privatize education and call public schools “government schools” in a derisive tone. It’s sad that we’ve reached this point.
[quote=“UNCCTF, post:54, topic:29563”]I’m a teacher in my 8th year (started in 2005, took two years off along the way for full-time graduate school). I’m at a charter school in RTP; since we’re a charter, we don’t exactly follow the state pay scale, although it closely mirrors the Wake County scale. I’m the athletic director and teach an abbreviated course load as a result (2 sections of AP U.S. History). My salary is public record, so I don’t mind saying that it’s about $45,000 annually - 7 years of experience + masters degree + AD stipend.
No one goes into teaching to get rich, and I’m lucky that my wife is a private sector scientist who is the breadwinner - we still need my salary, though. The #1 complaint among most teachers I know and work with isn’t just the low pay - it’s the fact that teachers are asked to do more than they ever have before, with no increase in pay. It’s the opposite trajectory of what anyone wants in their career. And yes, there are 8 weeks during the summer where class isn’t in session, but a significant number of teachers spend most of the summer attending or presenting at conferences, working on their curriculums, etc., so that blows part of that argument out of the water; furthermore, all those school-related things during the summer also make it harder to find a part-time summer job. I’m at school at least 3 days a week during the summer for AD commitments, but I’m not paid for that; guidance counselors who are at school working on schedules and meeting with students aren’t paid for that either.
The N.C. Teaching Fellows program, from which I graduated, was one of the best teacher-recruitment tools out there, and it’s criminal that it was taken away. I used to have multiple students every year that wanted to go to college for education majors; I haven’t had one in two years now. The demonization of the profession goes a long way toward that; I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to take a job that’s going to subject them to ridicule from politicians who want to privatize education and call public schools “government schools” in a derisive tone. It’s sad that we’ve reached this point.[/quote]
Also great additions to the discussion.
[quote=“UNCCTF, post:54, topic:29563”]I’m a teacher in my 8th year (started in 2005, took two years off along the way for full-time graduate school). I’m at a charter school in RTP; since we’re a charter, we don’t exactly follow the state pay scale, although it closely mirrors the Wake County scale. I’m the athletic director and teach an abbreviated course load as a result (2 sections of AP U.S. History). My salary is public record, so I don’t mind saying that it’s about $45,000 annually - 7 years of experience + masters degree + AD stipend.
No one goes into teaching to get rich, and I’m lucky that my wife is a private sector scientist who is the breadwinner - we still need my salary, though. The #1 complaint among most teachers I know and work with isn’t just the low pay - it’s the fact that teachers are asked to do more than they ever have before, with no increase in pay. It’s the opposite trajectory of what anyone wants in their career. And yes, there are 8 weeks during the summer where class isn’t in session, but a significant number of teachers spend most of the summer attending or presenting at conferences, working on their curriculums, etc., so that blows part of that argument out of the water; furthermore, all those school-related things during the summer also make it harder to find a part-time summer job. I’m at school at least 3 days a week during the summer for AD commitments, but I’m not paid for that; guidance counselors who are at school working on schedules and meeting with students aren’t paid for that either.
The N.C. Teaching Fellows program, from which I graduated, was one of the best teacher-recruitment tools out there, and it’s criminal that it was taken away. I used to have multiple students every year that wanted to go to college for education majors; I haven’t had one in two years now. The demonization of the profession goes a long way toward that; I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to take a job that’s going to subject them to ridicule from politicians who want to privatize education and call public schools “government schools” in a derisive tone. It’s sad that we’ve reached this point.[/quote]
Great post. And yes, it’s very sad that the people elected to “serve” the state of NC speak derisively about the public school system that I’m sure of which many of them were products.
He should if they dont bother raising pay some more.[/quote]
Yeah, I voted for McCrory and now I’m pissed about that. You could make the same amount as a teacher working at McDonalds.[/quote]
If they give them $15 an hour being a fry guy at McD’s is a better career choice.
My wife is a teacher and it is an honorable profession that will become economically not viable if the teacher pay stays were it is relative to the cost to attend college.[/quote]
I know your wife is a teacher, but I have friends who are as well and a daughter about to be. I think you are really exaggerating here. Will teachers get “rich”? No, but its still no comparison to working at McD’s. Thats ridiculous.[/quote]
My brother in law put himself through college while working at McDonalds. Certainly not the most glamorous route, but it worked. He made $14 an hour as a shift supervisor, not even assistant manager. It was very easy to get to shift supervisor and he didn’t need 4 years of college to get there. I have several friends who are teachers and my mom used to be a teacher. All of them work at least 50 hours a week when you take into account homework, lesson plans, etc. At $14 an hour working 50 hour weeks you’d make pretty much the same amount as a teacher.
My cousin stopped teaching because the raises were a joke. Don’t forget that career progression is a huge motivator in HR and dealing with employees. When you account for inflation teacher pay over time is quite stagnant. Another friend of mine quit after his first year because he could make more money as a flight attendant.
Again, I wasn’t saying that McDonalds was a better job. I’m making the point that after the amount of work you put in, college, and the work you take home the compensation just doesn’t seem appropriate, thus my comparison to McDonalds. Teachers are more important than to be even considered in the same sentence as a fast food employee or flight attendant.
[quote=“VA49er, post:49, topic:29563”][quote=“Charlotte2002, post:46, topic:29563”]If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?[/quote]
I usually stay away from political stuff on NN.N because, well, because I don’t really want to despise any of you guys but here goes…
I agree with the bolded above; however, that would have to be funded somehow. Do you think people would go for something like much higher property taxes to fund higher teacher salaries, etc? IMO, I think some funding could come from cutting the high administrative salaries and passing that on to the teachers but that would be just a drop in the bucket.[/quote]
That is part of the reason why some of the best performing school districts also have the most expensive property taxes. Residents put their money where their mouth is.
For example, in Westchester County NY, one of the most affluent counties in the US, a teacher with a master’s degree and professional certifications can make 6 figures after about 8 years. The schools are excellent. Property taxes though are obscene. Friend has a modest $400k house likely worth around $600k though (modest for the area) and his annual property taxes are $18k. You best believe those kids are getting excellent educations and go on to lead highly productive lives.
[quote=“Charlotte2002, post:58, topic:29563”][quote=“VA49er, post:49, topic:29563”][quote=“Charlotte2002, post:46, topic:29563”]If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?[/quote]
I usually stay away from political stuff on NN.N because, well, because I don’t really want to despise any of you guys but here goes…
I agree with the bolded above; however, that would have to be funded somehow. Do you think people would go for something like much higher property taxes to fund higher teacher salaries, etc? IMO, I think some funding could come from cutting the high administrative salaries and passing that on to the teachers but that would be just a drop in the bucket.[/quote]
That is part of the reason why some of the best performing school districts also have the most expensive property taxes. Residents put their money where their mouth is.
For example, in Westchester County NY, one of the most affluent counties in the US, a teacher with a master’s degree and professional certifications can make 6 figures after about 8 years. The schools are excellent. Property taxes though are obscene. Friend has a modest $400k house likely worth around $600k though (modest for the area) and his annual property taxes are $18k. You best believe those kids are getting excellent educations and go on to lead highly productive lives.[/quote]
Also doesn’t hurt that the demographic that can afford taxes like that also are able to offer their children any and all resources needed to succeed.
I am a conservative and by nature am weary of increasing taxes because of my general distrust of the government using increased revenue wisely. When it comes to schools and things like fire and police I am all for raising taxes if it goes to those areas. Increasing money to schools and creating a better educational environment in the long run is more true to my conservative values. Give the children a quality education and enable them to have the tools needed to suceed in life and that lessens the chances that my taxes will have to support them later in life.
[quote=“Charlotte2002, post:58, topic:29563”][quote=“VA49er, post:49, topic:29563”][quote=“Charlotte2002, post:46, topic:29563”]If we want some of our best and brightest to teach and lead our youth I think the salaries have to be competitive with higher paying jobs.
How do we expect our kids to learn math and science when you can’t find qualified people to teach them because they can make more than double in salary doing just about anything else that requires the application of math and science skills?[/quote]
I usually stay away from political stuff on NN.N because, well, because I don’t really want to despise any of you guys but here goes…
I agree with the bolded above; however, that would have to be funded somehow. Do you think people would go for something like much higher property taxes to fund higher teacher salaries, etc? IMO, I think some funding could come from cutting the high administrative salaries and passing that on to the teachers but that would be just a drop in the bucket.[/quote]
That is part of the reason why some of the best performing school districts also have the most expensive property taxes. Residents put their money where their mouth is.
For example, in Westchester County NY, one of the most affluent counties in the US, a teacher with a master’s degree and professional certifications can make 6 figures after about 8 years. The schools are excellent. Property taxes though are obscene. Friend has a modest $400k house likely worth around $600k though (modest for the area) and his annual property taxes are $18k. You best believe those kids are getting excellent educations and go on to lead highly productive lives.[/quote]
Here is a nice article on that county and the taxes they pay. A teacher making six figures there is probably similar to a teacher’s salary here when you factor in how much it costs to live there.
As with everything there are always trade-offs. Better schools equal more tax money. How much money constitutes a better school system? So you raise property taxes and what negative effects is that going to create? That will slow or decrease the rate of employers moving into the area, which decreases the rate of workers moving to the area. The migration of companies to the Southeastern US is because of the low tax rates and lower worker wages.