Who knew teachers received such salaries?

[dave_the_nerd]

http://rossieronline.usc.edu/teaching-salary-california/

Data in OP article is also cherry picked from 75 larger districts, which tend to pay better (local cost of living, difficulty of keeping students, etc.)

It's interesting only inasmuch as it posits the idea that student achievement isn't linked to teacher pay.

IMO the problem has never been at the high end - it's at the low end, where you're losing new teachers who can't pay their bills because they make assistant-manager-at-starbuck's pay.

 

[TheVrolok]

Here's some more anecdotal data; salaries in my local school district (upper middle class suburban district) start in the low 40's and with years of experience do extend into the 70's-80's. Not bad for 9 months a year. I know a few that work part time over the summer as well, so they're making a bit above that.

 

[pete6032]

I can use the internet to find a news story about a garbage man who makes $120,000 a year but that doesn't mean all garbage men get paid that amount.

The average salary for a school teacher in Wisconsin is just under $50,000 per year. That's average, not starting. Considering that, to actually get a teaching job these days in a desirable district, you need a Master's degree, and the starting wages are around $40-$45,000 here, it is clearly NOT a lucrative field.

 

[pete6032]

The way things are now, seems like everyone who is paid with taxpayer money does pretty well.

That seems to be the conservative narrative the last few years. Everyone is getting fat and leaching off the system. Government workers are millionaires rolling in the dough.

Eventually the republican party will end up ostracizing so many people that no one will vote for them.

 

[unokitty]

...Eventually the republican party will end up ostracizing so many people that no one will vote for them.

Chicago stopped electing Republicans decades ago. And, the Democrats were happy to keep increasing all of the public worker's pensions.

Of course, those pensions aren't funded too well...

Promising public workers future benefits that aren't funded might be good politics, but its not good finance.

If you want, probably best to celebrate those political victories now. After the bills come due and there isn't any money to pay them, there won't be much to celebrate.

Uno

 

[DrPizza]

I think the salary in that article includes more than just salary. If I recall, my "total compensation" includes everything - a cost of sick time, insurance, etc. It would be like claiming that the average employee at McDonalds makes (a chunk more than minimum wage) because McD's also has to pay its share of FICA taxes, etc.

 

[DCal430]

Teachers in California make a lot of money, I know multiple teachers in Cali and their salary is over 80,000 a year each. It is common to find teachers whose salary exceed 100K in California.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I don't know if it changes your point much, but the last table shows data from San Diego, and the Chaffey, the district with the highest pay is in Eastern LA County (if not San Bernardino County). For those of you who don't live in California, those two locations are in SoCal.

A quick google of Chaffey district shows "Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and portions of Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Mount Baldy". It's a relatively upper middle to higher class area. $120k doesn't seem super extreme.

Most teachers in Orange County that I know up are around 60k-80k. Pretty much middle class around here.

 

[pete6032]

Chicago stopped electing Republicans decades ago. And, the Democrats were happy to keep increasing all of the public worker's pensions.

Of course, those pensions aren't funded too well...

Promising public workers future benefits that aren't funded might be good politics, but its not good finance.

If you want, probably best to celebrate those political victories now. After the bills come due and there isn't any money to pay them, there won't be much to celebrate.

Uno

I'm not saying that the democrats are a better choice, I'm simply stating that conservatives seem to be slowly alienating themselves from the voting population bit by bit - Hispanics/Latinos with the conservative opinion on immigration, the LGBT community with their views on gay marriage, millenials with net neutrality, etc.

I agree with you that Chicago and Illinois politics are horrible.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Cool thing (or not) is that if you're a California state employee, all of your salary information is public info and you can even search by name.

Here's my school district's chart.

http://www.sausd.us/Page/1252

If you wanna look up anyone's salary in CA, go here.

http://www.sacbee.com/site-services...rticle2642161.html#req=employee/top/year=2014

 

[Red Squirrel]

Woah that is a nice salary, nicer than I thought they got. Do they get paid during the summer months though? Maybe it all evens out depending on how they calculated that (ex: if they took hourly pay and then figured out yearly).

I know someone who is a principal and makes a bit over 100k. I did not realize teachers were that close.

Considering the time they have to put off duty correcting homework and tests and stuff I think it's deserved, but I don't think they need more either.

 

[DCal430]

A quick google of Chaffey district shows "Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and portions of Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Mount Baldy". It's a relatively upper middle to higher class area. $120k doesn't seem super extreme.

Most teachers in Orange County that I know up are around 60k-80k. Pretty much middle class around here.

Most school districts in OC start at over 60,000 a year. I know a teacher in OC who works in a poor district. He makes over 80,000 a year, as do most of his fellow teachers. If you look at the site you posted you can see for example the median salary of a teacher in Garden Grove is close to 90,000.

 

[Pacfanweb]

This pretty much. My mother, a teacher in NC, makes about 26k/year. She's been teaching for 24 years. About to retire in a couple more. Her 4 bedroom 2 bath, is about $120k. It's all relative to location.

I'm going to have to question your claim of your Mom's salary in NC as a teacher.

Starting teacher salary in NC is $33k. No way a 26 year veteran teacher is only making $26k.

 

[palswim]

It's pretty impressive until you look to see where the news affiliate that wrote the article is based, San Diego. That's borderline minimum wage there.

I know San Diego has a reputation, but $80k is a decent wage for San Diego. I live there and make in the range of the article and can support my family (wife and kids) just fine.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Cool thing (or not) is that if you're a California state employee, all of your salary information is public info and you can even search by name.

Here's my school district's chart.

http://www.sausd.us/Page/1252

If you wanna look up anyone's salary in CA, go here.

http://www.sacbee.com/site-services...rticle2642161.html#req=employee/top/year=2014

Neat! Two girls I went to high school and college with are now teachers in CA. Interesting stuff.

 

[Markbnj]

Funny I know a ton of teachers in CA and their total package is no where near that..

Do you really discuss total compensation packages with your friends and acquaintances? Most people I know don't discuss that at all.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Neat! Two girls I went to high school and college with are now teachers in CA. Interesting stuff.

Yup. I found my bosses from my last job on that list. One is pretty passive and barely made more than I did at my time there. The other is aggressive and a shark. She makes triple vs. my other boss and IMO does less work.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Do you really discuss total compensation packages with your friends and acquaintances? Most people I know don't discuss that at all.

I don't. Usually people just ask "does your job give benefits (medical, PTO, vacay) and that's it.

 

[mpo]

"Salaries" in the article title yet "compensation" used in the charts, with no indication of what else constitutes the compensation. Maybe including medical or pension too?

From the FAQ for the source of the data

Why doesn’t the compensation amount on Transparent California match the amount I receive in my paycheck?

Transparent California lists an employee’s total compensation, including benefits like health insurance and pension payments, and an employee’s salary before any deductions for Social Security, Medicare, retirement, etc… are taken. In addition, we rely upon each agency to give us accurate and complete information.

The prior entry in the FAQ has more detailed information.

 

[ViperXX]

My wife is a 2nd grade teacher in New Mexico. She makes around $40,000 a year.

 

[mcveigh]

My wife is a teacher. She makes crap.

 

[Wreckem]

The national average is in the $50s, and that is for experienced teachers.

The national average for new teachers is a lot lower.

The number of teachers making $40k or less is A LOT higher than teachers making $80k or more.

 

[brianmanahan]

this is ATOT though, where minimum wage is 100$k per year

 

[Exterous]

The article lists $80k-$120k, but I had always thought they made closer to $50k.

So you look at CA and decide otherwise? $50k is a lot closer to being accurate as CA is one of the highest paying states

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_211.60.asp

It will also be very interesting to see how salaries have changed from over the past couple of years when the numbers come out. A number of states have been quickly cutting starting salaries and benefits.

As for all the complaints about teacher salary the US ranks behind a large number of other industrialized countries like Germany, Korea, Belgium, Japan. The Teacher: Pupil ratio is also the 8th highest of the 32 countries measured

Conversely the US government spends the most on education.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/sep/05/how-the-job-of-a-teacher-compares-around-the-world

 

[1sikbITCH]

Our perception has not caught up with reality.

As a kid I remember they paid teachers like janitors and couldn't keep them in the schools. In the 1980s it was big news and there were a lot of strikes and media attention and unions got stronger and there were changes. However many folks likely still have that leftover perception (myself included until now).

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01generationb.html?_r=0

“A good salary? I wouldn’t disagree with you,” Ms. Huff said. “Took me a long time to get there.” She started teaching in 1978 for $11,250 a year and, in those early days, worked a second job, bartending, to make ends meet.
But in the late 1980s, teacher salaries took a jump across the country, and they just kept improving, to the point that now, with the economic collapse, a lot of people who sneered at teachers, wish they had it so good.