Teachers: Underpaid and Underappreciated

Teachers are the foundation of our society. Their hard work and dedication to their field is driven by their determination to properly educate the future of our nation, our children. After hours of work in a classroom, with groups and one-on-one sessions, they spend several hours after class and at home finishing their day, grading papers and planning for future classes. With all this hard-work and dedication, why is it that America’s teachers are so grossly underpaid and underappreciated? We need to take a long, hard look at what goes into a teacher’s career and provide a salary base that adequately compensates for not only the long hours of dedication, but the product that is produced by their efforts.

Like many professional jobs of today, a teacher is required to meet certain educational requirements before they can even be considered for a position in their career field. Not only must they complete their Bachelor’s Degree, but they often must complete internships, specialization courses, and costly certification tests for licensing in their home state. As with many college students, aspiring teachers must apply for student loans that continue to mount and grow throughout their educational study. Although some Universities include internship in their final year, others may require a teacher to complete internship after completing their degree. With educational loans and the cost of living, some teachers start their career working a second job to create income during their internship. After all this just to begin their career, teachers are then expected to achieve their Masters Degree and possibly their PhD while constantly attending workshops or completing “continuing education” courses throughout their career. Although required to continue their education, few educational facilities actually pay for advanced degrees and classes.

For all the education that our teachers are required to obtain and the financial burden they must take on to achieve that education, the compensation they receive in return is insulting. According to a study by Diverse Issues in Higher Education, in 2004-2005, the average teachers in fifteen states were receiving salaries that were lower than $39,999 (“Study: Inflation”). Teachers’ salaries are decreasing every year according to the 2005 annual reports by the National Education Association, which reports inflation increases almost one percent higher than teacher salary increases. NEA President Reginald Weaver expressed his concerns saying, “It’s unsettling that when the rate of inflation is considered, on average, our teachers are actually earning less this year than they did the previous year” (“Study: Inflation”). American Teacher pointed out, that according to an AFT salary survey released in October of 2005, other professions requiring similar educational background have gained between 5 and 14.4 percent after inflation, while the average teachers’ salaries have only grown 2 percent in the same 10-year period (“Inflation Outstrips”). For an occupation that builds and molds our future leaders, teachers are slowly being driven into poverty levels, restricting many of them from living in the districts which they teach. In areas that are saturated with soaring real estate costs, teachers can barely afford to live within the county where they teach.

A hot topic of debate between state and local governments, school boards, teachers unions, and teachers is how do we rectify this growing problem? Most recent attempts at a solution have been an alternative pay system referred to as merit pay. In short, merit pay is a system that would award bonuses or raises to teachers based on a measuring of classroom performance. This has sparked both positive and negative feedback. A younger teacher that supports the merit pay plan was quoted saying, “Some of our first- and second-year teachers who are at the bottom of the pay scale do brilliant work that often goes unrecognized. Conversely, there are teachers at the top of the pay scale who have not changed teaching methods in twenty-five years to meet the needs of the kids they work with now”(Drevitch). However, can we so easily dismiss our tenured teachers and award higher bonuses and pay to young unproven teachers that happen to find a year or two of success attempting to replicate a new study they read about before graduating college?

Additional money based on a student’s achievement is probably the most highly debated portion of the merit pay plan. A student’s achievement goals would be determined by the administrator following a teacher/principal meeting. The teacher would then receive a bonus if or when that student achieved those set goals. A merit pay system being proposed by Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts would award pay increases based on students’ standardized-test scores and evaluations by teacher supervisors. Massachusetts Teachers Association president, Kathy Boudreau, opposes these plans, stating; “Education is all about collaborative effort, but if teachers believe other teachers are getting consideration for pay based on non-objective criteria, it can create a breakdown on the team. If I’m a great teacher with great practices, I might think, ‘Why would I want to share?’” (Drevitch) With standardized-test scores being a basis for pay increases, what does this plan do to the salaries of specialized high needs teachers? What happens to the teachers of children with autism? How are the teachers of mentally challenged children evaluated?

Here in Florida, new Governor Charlie Crist has proposed raising the bonus funding from $147.5 million to $295 million so that the top 25 percent of teachers can have their bonuses raised from 5 to 10 percent (Sampson). However, this still only considers the top 25 percent. Are the other 75 percent of our teachers unworthy of a pay increase?

The proper response to the debate over teachers’ salaries is to simply raise them. President of the United Teachers of Dade, Karen Aronowitz, compares bonuses as giving dessert to a starving person. She says, “Just raise our salaries. You want to talk about performance pay after that? Fine” (Sampson). We can’t continue to offer bonuses and incentive programs to an underpaid profession that is so vital to our future. The federal government needs to match the cost of teachers’ salaries with the funds already supplied by the state. However, this isn’t enough. Additionally, the federal government needs to apply a cost of living allowance, as they have done for our military, based on the average living cost in each state. The new plan wouldn’t be complete without including a mandatory percentage increase every year that will increase salaries by a minimum of 5% over the increase of inflation. We could achieve this with a shift in government spending. Far too many programs are receiving excess funding that would better serve our nations education. How about a raise in taxes guaranteed for teacher salaries? Our nation should gladly offer aid to our teachers with such a contribution. By raising base salaries and providing a plan that would continue to increase those salaries ahead of inflation, not only would we reward today’s teachers, but increase interest of future teachers. This would give our school districts more qualified applicants to choose from, greatly strengthening our schools faculties.

Without teachers to guide our children in acquiring the basic skills and knowledge needed to succeed in life and advance their hopes, their dreams, and their careers, our nation would simply deteriorate. We would fail to remain competitive and vital in our world’s global markets and backslide into a third world country. So isn’t it vital to all of us that we compensate these teachers in such a manner that allows them to care for their own families, at any cost?

Drevitch, G. “Merit Pay: Good for Teachers?” Instructor (New York, N.Y.:1999) v. 115 no. 5 (January/February 2006) p. 21-23.

“Inflation Outstrips Teacher Salaries.” American Teacher. v. 90 no. 3 (November 2005)

Sampson, Hannah. “Cautious optimism for budget proposal.” Miami Herald, The(FL). P. 5B.

“Study: Inflation Outpaces Teachers Salary Growth in More than 40 States.” Diverse Issues in Higher Education. V. 22 no. 23 (December 29, 2005) p.9.