After talking with some colleagues over break, we were discussing what our public image is during these trying times. With the turmoil that took place in Wisconsin last year, we were reminded of a story published last year in the New York Times. With all this STIKE talk floating around the city, we wonder if current events or this article discussed holds any merit?
Are Teachers Overpaid?
This is just a little thought-experiment. There has been some talk of teachers being little more than overpaid baby-sitters – see for example this story in the New York Times:
The jabs Erin Parker has heard about her job have stunned her. Oh you pathetic teachers, read the online comments and placards of counterdemonstrators. You are glorified baby sitters who leave work at 3 p.m. You deserve minimum wage.
“You feel punched in the stomach,” said Ms. Parker, a high school science teacher in Madison, Wis., where public employees’ two-week occupation of the State Capitol has stalled but not deterred the governor’s plan to try to strip them of bargaining rights.
But are teachers overpaid babysitters?
Let’s imagine for a moment that teachers were paid a baby-sitter’s salary. Let’s assume that they charge $3.00 an hour per kid. They “babysit” 25 children from 8AM to 3PM Monday through Friday. That’s eight hours a day, five days a week, for approximately nine months (or 36 weeks) a year. The math, very briefly:
· 8 hours x $3.00/hr = $24 a day per student.
· $24/student x 25 students = $600 a day per class
· 36 weeks x 5 days per week = 180 days
· $600 x 180 days = $108,000.00/year salary.
The average teacher in Wisconsin – where teachers are fighting the Republican governor, Scott Walker, for their right to collectively bargain – makes about $51,000 a year. Their benefits package knocks that up quite a bit – some say by $39,000 to a total of $90,000 combined benefits and wages.
But that’s still $18,000 a year less than they would be making if they were actually baby-sitting.
Not all states are as generous as Wisconsin either.
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If we break down the CPS school day:
6.25 hours per day x $3.00/hr = $18.75 per hour per student
18.75 x 30 students a class = $562.50 a day
39 weeks x 5 days per week =195 days
562.50 a day x 195 days = 109,687.50/per year salary
So in the CPS we are roughly making 1,700 more a year than in the above article but...
This is if we take out our 45min lunch period, which consists of aiding students in the hallway or sacrificing our lunch time to edit/grade/call home/meet with parents/IEP meetings/and oh yeah, maybe eat.
We are also capped at 32 students per class (we rounded down to roughly 30 students per class).
We have a 39 week calendar (we know there are holidays and breaks figured into this number) but we only get paid from August to June. Our pay over the Summer months is from deferred compensation with means we get paid money we already earned spread out over the Summer months. Any other job gets paid vacation; we get paid vacation too during the school year. Summer is not considered paid vacation.
According to the 2011-2012 CPS Teacher Salary Schedule for a 38.6 week position 6.25 hours per day
*A first year teacher with a Bachelor's Degree makes $47,268.00 per year.
With Pension pick up $50,577.00
*A 16 year veteran with a Bachelor's Degree makes $79,566.00 per year.
With Pension pick up $85,135.00
*A first year teacher with a Doctorate Degree makes $57,091.00 per year.
With Pension pick up $61,087.00
*A 16 year veteran teacher with a Doctorate Degree $89,680.00 per year.
With Pension pick up $95,957.00
This means that the average CPS Salary ranges from $50,577.00-$95,957.00. This isn't bad right?
Now, factor in that in order to receive these pay increases we must attain graduate degrees that count as continuing professional development toward keeping our certificate valid, but we pay for these degrees out of our own pocket. We have to spend money we barely have as new teachers to try and make more money in the future. And we wonder why we have a problem with teacher retention. To put up with the stress and politics of this job and spend more money to make more, why would a new teacher not look for another job for a few dollars more (or less for that matter).
This also does not speak to the fact that the more experience and education you have, makes it damn near impossible to find a job because you now cost too much money to hire. Then again, we want quality and experience in the classroom for our students to improve their test scores. But we don't need compensation right? We can just earn our money meritoriously. If our students don't produce numbers then, "No soup for you" or the family you support.
