America's schools deserve effective teachers, and effective teachers deserve a professional living wage. NASDTEC stands with America's teachers and The Teacher Salary Project in support of higher pay for teachers.
Phillip Rogers
NASDTEC, Executive Director/CEO
High quality teachers are essential to the success of future generations and teacher pay is essential to attract and retain high quality teachers. I can't live on a teacher salary. The only time I have not had to work two jobs being a teacher is when I was married. In order to support myself and have money to purchase supplies for my classroom I have to work two jobs. How about teachers having to pay no federal income tax, and then no be penalized when filing yearly taxes. This would be an easy fix for all teachers. High quality teachers are essential to the success of future generations and teacher pay is essential to attract and retain high quality teachers. America's schools deserve effective teachers, and effective teachers deserve a professional living wage. NASDTEC stands with America's teachers and The Teacher Salary Project in support of higher pay for teachers. Teachers are essential to student learning. They take on the students as extended family. They also work many more hours than 8-3. It is more like 24-7. Because teachers are charged with educating the future of our world and should be paid accordingly! Phenomenal public school teachers saved my life as a kid when I lost both of my parents. Teachers transform lives every day. Educators lay the foundation for every other existing profession. No educator should have to carry the weight of school loans, their own homelessness or lack of basic necessities into the classroom with them daily. It is an honorable profession and our salaries should reflect that. Increasing teacher salary will draw strong candidates and help us retain talent over time. I am in favor of a two pronged approach. We have a starting salary, and at Year 5 in title 1, you get a bump to at least $75K and student loan forgiveness. That would give teachers time to build their skills and at the point of becoming truly effective, you get a big bonus. Win win! Teachers inspire. Teachers are liberation. Teachers deserve to be paid as the consummate professionals that they are. As a 3rd generation teacher, the impact of financial recognition of educators, or lack thereof, has not been lost on me. As a 31 year teacher, I will make less than my parents did when they retired -- a stark reminder that politics impacts the valuing of educators instead of the value that teachers contribute to society and the quality of life for others being the bar that sets how educators are compensated. Our profession is one that is at the helm of building an active and literate community. To attract and retain people interested and committed to the art & science of teaching and to investing themselves in the development of others, fair and right compensation must offered. |
America's schools deserve effective teachers, and effective teachers deserve a professional living wage. NASDTEC stands with America's teachers and The Teacher Salary Project in support of higher pay for teachers. Our nation's teachers provide service to our communities that go so much beyond educating our young people. When one thinks of the added responsibilities of today's teachers compared to 25 years ago, the burden is indeed great, but our teachers continue to assume what society asks, and move forward even in difficult times. Teaching is not a profession motivated by wealth; however, we must all ensure that the pipeline remains full of willing and able educators for the future. From experience as classroom teacher and as a parent, I know how many responsibilities are required in the teacher role, especially PreK-12th. I know this profession has the capacity to nurture because of the team nature in schools, because of the dynamic relationships created in a learning partnership. I know there is a tradition of holding teachers high in some communities, but not all! Leadership can go a long way in changing how the teaching profession is viewed, and salaries need to rise! I consider teacher pay an critical piece of the equity puzzle. Underpaid teachers = underserved students. My wife has not only been teaching my own children but has also been substitute teaching virtually for the last year plus. I have seen the very small pay substitutes get and can only imaging how little our teachers get for all we have asked them to do. Too often, students overlooked in this discussion: Our students are paying the price for the fact that, in many states, teacher salary is too low to attract and retain teachers. Teachers are the soul of our education system. Every student deserves a great teacher and they should be compensated for their work and the impact they have on students' lives. I myself had to leave the profession in order to make ends meet. I would love if that need hadn’t existed in the first place. I want to support other people in being able to remain in the profession because they have the time and the means. Every teacher I know is deeply committed to helping open the door to opportunity for others. People who work their entire career helping others should not have to work second and third jobs to make ends meet. I know first hand that I, and my peers, are not making enough money for retention or to even live in our resort town. Most of us work one or two extra jobs in order to make ends meet. It’s exhausting and takes us away from the students. Schools are where we inspire future generations and give them the tools to follow those visions. American prestige and wealth are built upon both great innovators creating new industry after new industry and an educated populace to support those innovators. Teachers deserve great wages, so that our schools attract top quality talent! |