By The Numbers: Teacher Pay and Hours Worked

I like numbers. I know people can and will say that, just like words, numbers can also be twisted to represent the truth as you see it. But they're still a lot clearer and cleaner than a bunch of hot air rhetoric.

So here are some numbers, specifically for the State of Florida (and some other information and thoughts that go along with them).

Salaries:
According to a report from the Florida Department of Education, the median teacher salary in Florida in 2009-2010 was $46,696. However, that's the median salary for all teachers at all levels, regardless of school level or degree level.

Median salary for Florida teachers for 2009-2010 broken down by degree level:
Bachelors = $39,873.
Masters = $45,966
Specialist = $55,129
Doctorate = 53,746.

The highest amount paid in 2009-2010 for a teacher WITH A DOCTORATE was $80,184. Not average...maximum. And you can bet that the ONE person who was paid that salary has more than 20 years of experience since Florida teacher salaries are paid based on a combined scale of years of experience and degree level.

Now consider the salary information for someone with a Masters in Business Administration (from Payscale.com)

Median Salary with an MBA by Location (2009)
California: $97,381
New York: $93,782
Illinois: $83,490
Texas: $78,596
Florida: $69,878

Median Salary for MBA's by Experience (2009)
Less than a year of experience: $48,807
1-4 Years of experience: $55,448
5-9 Years of experience: $73,442
10-19 Years of experience: $95,760
20 or more years experience: $108,547

So the difference, at the lowest level, between the median salary a teacher with a Masters degree can expect to make and the median salary that a business manager with a Masters degree can expect to make is $23,912.

The difference increases significantly when you compare the highest wage paid to a teacher with a Doctorate and 20+ years of experience ($80,184) to the MEDIAN salary of someone with an MBA and 20+ years of experience ($108,547). Please note, in case you missed it, that we're comparing "highest with a DOCTORATE" to "median with a MBA". Plus, most MBAs working in the corporate world can expect to get one or more of the following: an end of year regular bonus, a pay for performance bonus, stock options and the ability to negotiate a salary.

A final note regarding salaries:
The average salary in 2009 for an accountant within the Florida Department of Education was $50,237. Seriously? Nothing against accountants, but I just don't see how anyone thinks it's reasonable that people who educate our children make less on average than people who crunch numbers for the same agency.



Hours worked:
Now, to address the whole "but they don't work as many hours" issue. A regular full-time employee works approximately 2040 hours per year (average 261 business days per year, minus 6 holidays x 8 hours per day).

Teacher's regular scheduled hours: 8 x 198 = 1,584 (over ~40 weeks)
Add'l hours worked: 10 hours per week x 40 weeks = 400*
Total = 1,984

* Based on the median estimate from various reports on the number of additional hours teachers spend working on things like prepping work material, grading homework & tests, in parent/teacher conferences, and supporting after hour school activities (such as family nights, science fairs, school club events, etc). The estimates range from 8 hours to 12 hours, so I used 10.

Ooooooh, teachers work, on average, a whole 56 hours per year less than other regular full time employees!

BUT...teachers are also required to fulfill ongoing educational requirements to be able to continue teaching. They have to do those on their own time every year, either throughout the school year or during the summer. So it all comes out about even in the end.



Tenure:
Tenure does not mean what most people think it does. It doesn't guarantee a job forever. It means that there has to be "just cause" for discipline and/or termination, whether the reason is due to incompetence or extreme misconduct. It also means that the teacher has the right to a fair hearing to contest charges. Any tenured teacher can be fired for a legitimate reason as long as school administrators prove their case. However, a tenured teacher cannot be the first to be laid off simply because he or she makes more money than a less experienced non-tenured teacher. This is a good thing (as anyone who has ever been laid off because their salary would make the biggest impact can confirm). In our county a teacher can apply for tenure after 3 years as long as evaluations show they are effective in the classroom.



My personal two cents:
All in all, it's clear to me that our teachers deserve better treatment in terms of pay, support and respect. Where I grew up, teachers are still treated with the same respect as doctors and are considered to be their peers professionally. I have no idea when that changed here, but I think it's one of the biggest stumbling blocks in this whole debate.

I'm off my soapbox now.

Back on it for a moment. None of the information above takes into account that the vast majority of our teachers really care about their students. They don't call them "my students". They call them "my kids". They not only care about how they do academically, they care about whether they're happy and whether they have friends. In low income schools they care about whether they have enough to eat and decent clothes to wear. They will pay out of their own pocket to provide things for their kids who usually have to do without. They care about helping them adjust during difficult times when things aren't good at home or they've gone through major changes or have lost a loved one. Think about it...you probably know what it's like to watch a co-worker mourn the loss of a close loved one. Put yourself in a teacher's shoes when one of their kids loses a parent. They don't get paid for caring. But they do it anyway.

I'm done now. For real this time.

Mr. Gershon Shapiro is a Liar

From my spam email (I've read this at least 10 times because it's just so damn funny) :


We are writhing to know if it's true that you are DEAD?

Because we received a notification from one MR. GERSHON SHAPIRO of USA stating that you are DEAD and that you have giving him the right to claim your funds. He stated you died on a CAR accident. He has been calling us regarding this issue, but we cannot proceed with him until we confirm this by not hearing from you after 7 days.

Be advised that we have made all arrangements for you to receive and confirm your funds without anymore stress, and without any further delays. All we need to confirm now is your been DEAD Or still Alive. Because this MAN'S message brought shock to our minds. And we just can't proceed with him until we confirm if this is a reality OR not But if it happened we did not hear from you after 7days, then we say: MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN PERFECT PEACE"

YOUR JOY AND SUCCESS REMAINS OUR GOAL.

May the peace of the Lord be with you wherever you may be now.

Your Faitfully,Mrs Farida Waziri