How much should Teachers be paid?

[seaside2]

Being a good and caring teacher is a tough profession. Lots of hours, money out of your own pocket, emotional trauma, etc.

Ms Seaside did it for years and I can't begin to tell you of the hours she (and me too) put in grading papers, going to kids' homes to check on them, etc. she loved it except on the 1st and 25th.

How much is the right amount of pay

Don't forget that teacher pay comes from taxes and significant increases in pay result in increased taxes, and vistually no one likes that.

Also, the management issues (Tenure, performance, pay for performance, etc) raise their ugly head. What I remember most was that every good teacher did it out of love for the kids and education.

How much is the right amount of pay

How about 100% of the median annual individual income of the area that the person teaches in as a mid point, 80% as a minimum and 150% as a maximum, with adders for MS and PhD?

 

[WileCoyote]

Attached are the most recent Salary comparisons from the State Department of education.

Walton County teachers are above the state average in compensation. The minimum starting salary for Walton county is now $32K rather than the $29k as listed in the 2006-2007 salary study.

Note the fact that teacher salaries in Walton county are on average - higher than any pandhandle school district other than Okaloosa and are higher than the state average.

Quick Facts:

WALTON
38,930 - Average salary for a BS Degree - 8.34 yrs experience
50,500 - Average salary for a MS -12.37 yrs
50,680 - Average salary for a specialist -8.83 yrs
47,960 - Average salary for PHD - 8.80 yrs
42,880 - Average for all Degrees -9.58 yrs

 

[Furthur]

There is an old saw that people go into the private sector for the dough and the public for security. Probably still true.
Teaching has status. They have respect. Lots of people don't get paid what they are worth. Ask any CNA.
In a free market bosses only pay as much as it takes to keep their chairs filled with qualified people.
Same holds for the Board of Ed.

 

[scooterbug44]

Quick Facts:

WALTON
38,930 - Average salary for a BS Degree - 8.34 yrs experience
50,500 - Average salary for a MS -12.37 yrs
50,680 - Average salary for a specialist -8.83 yrs
47,960 - Average salary for PHD - 8.80 yrs
42,880 - Average for all Degrees -9.58 yrs

That seems pretty fair to me based on this math - someone working 9 hours a day at $25 an hour for 180 days a year = $40.5K

(I did 9 hours to factor in pre and post school duties.)

 

[rapunzel]

That seems pretty fair to me based on this math - someone working 9 hours a day at $25 an hour for 180 days a year = $40.5K

(I did 9 hours to factor in pre and post school duties.)

Yes, but we're failing to factor in the cost of living here. We may be above the state average, but the cost of living here is way above the state average.

 

[scooterbug44]

Housing costs are higher here, but per Papa Scooterbug's gimlet eye at the grocery food is comparable to other areas of the US. IMO it all evens out as far as cost of living by the time you factor in all the possible variables.

$40K a year with several months of vacation - I'd sign up for that!

 

[WileCoyote]

:rofl:

Cost of Living Index for Walton County is 93. State average index for all counties is 101.3. Average for South Florida Counties is 109.8.

South Florida Counties had the highest increase in the index in the Nation in 2006. Primarily due to property taxes and homeowners insurance increases. Even though Walton County had a hugh housing runup, the local government taxing authorities did rollback the millage rates, but that did not help 2nd home and business owners.

In reality 68% of the cost of all government services in Walton County is collected from second homeowners, non-homesteaded properties, and businesses. Man we really stick it to them.

We just keep asking them to pay more and more while a homesteaded property owner in Walton County keeps paying less and less of the total.

These figures are from 2006 The most latest I can find.