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Lawmaker Wants Teachers To Make At Least $50K
January 20, 2015
A Central Florida lawmaker has filed a proposal that calls for the state’s public-school teachers to earn at least $50,000 a year.
The proposal filed by Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, points to a need to “attract and retain instructional personnel.” It would require the Legislature to put enough money in the state’s school-funding formula to ensure that districts could meet the salary standard while also having enough money to maintain other programs.
It also would require annual adjustments to the minimum salary based on inflation.
The bill, which would take effect with the fiscal year that starts July 1, does not detail the increased cost of moving to such a minimum salary.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
24 Responses to “Lawmaker Wants Teachers To Make At Least $50K”
Einstein AKA “No Neurons Firing”
Reality Check.
You wrote…” Teachers, or complaining teachers that is, if salary is your main goal do you really think your “teaching skills” are worth any more money? You obviously aren’t the right person to instill wisdom into the kids, right?”
Why is it considered a “complaint” if you ask for more money when you are worth it.
My teaching skills are worth the money. I have five college degrees and continued my education throughout my life and career.
You obviously aren’t the right person to instill wisdom if you “complain” about a low salary because you knew it was low prior to teaching is absurd illogical thinking.
No one knew or knows before they began teaching that it would be low for their entire careers.
Why is it when many other professionals are overpaid for their skills and no one in the community complains when they are overpaid for the skills they possess. Did they know they would be overpaid for their job skills prior to being hired and that is okay? Why do you resent it if teachers state (not complain) its a fact that they are underpaid.
The “Patriot” is right. Law enforcement and Firemen and women are also grossly underpaid considering their putting their lives on the line everyday. Same for teachers. Yes we have serious safety concerns related to our jobs, also.
Strange that our country pays the lowest to the law enforcement workers, fire personnel, and to teachers. The persons they could not do without. If the law enforcement, fire personnel, and teachers walked out of their jobs then the country would be in chaos.
Einstein-less… would you pay for education and for your personal safety then?
Beatrice
I am almost 50 years old and as long as I can remember many teachers complained about low pay. That has not changed. The teachers that are teaching today(and complaining) knew that teachers pay is not the same as other college degreed professionals. Teachers, or complaining teachers that is, if salary is your main goal do you really think your “teaching skills” are worth any more money? You obviously aren’t the right person to instill wisdom into the kids, right? I know many good teachers who loved and love teaching and that is honorable and they were the best teachers too. Beatrice, reality check, teachers knew all of your reality checks before entering college. So if the low pay took some by surprise then they might not be smart enough to do the teaching job.
Beatrice said: “I challenge any worker out there to put up with as much as a teacher daily from students and their parents and be happy with the pathetically low salaries they offer.”
Seriously??? Try being a Cop.
180 days mandatory class time and 10 more inservice to do this -Yes
1/2 days off for teachers -No. Common complaint is that mandatory training leaves no time that day for working in the classroom so work is taken home.
Federal Holidays -some, not all. Try to hold school and see how many kids will show on Labor Day.
Week ends -Yes and very much deserved and needed. Although I have seen teachers working with kids on science fair, history fair, math competitions etc on Saturdays and after school without extra pay.
Tenure -No, if you haven’t heard, new teachers will never get this nor will they get step raises.
Teaching to the Test -Yes which is unfortunate that students are not learning more skills and creativity instead of how to take the test that labels them.
Sex with a student -No, this is an insult to the profession that you would write this. Escambia has over 5,000 teachers. Only a very few have been arrested for this and found guilty.
John, it makes me wonder what has happened to you to make you think this way. If everyone felt the way you do about education, we will not be able to staff in the future. I do believe that you get what you pay for.
Reality check. I have worked in Escambia County School District for 32 years. The pay is low, the work is difficult. A 25 year teacher makes the same as a 40 year veteran. Your salary is locked in at year 25. The veteran teachers are not respected or given the amount of money they deserve for so many years of service. The district only wants to pay up to year 25. After that there are no increases. That is nearly half a teacher’s career time with NO salary increases.
Reality check. Teachers do the work of five workers in the business world. We rarely have a weekend or vacation time when we are not working at our jobs unpaid. There is NO overtime. We all spend thousands of dollars out of our own pockets to decorate rooms, buy supplies for the class, or rewards for the students. The IRS only allows an annual 250.00 deduction for thousands spent annually by teachers. We are overworked, underpaid and put up with ungrateful persons in the community, parents and students daily.
Reality Check. Most teachers are overqualified for their current job. Most have multiple college degrees and take workshops their entire careers to stay current on the latest educational concepts. No other business makes their workers continue their education their entire careers.
Reality Check.
For years every time a raise (pitiful) is given to the teachers they raise the cost of the Insurance so their really is NO raise.
I challenge any worker out there to put up with as much as a teacher daily from students and their parents and be happy with the pathetically low salaries they offer.
Beatrice
Dear John,
I used to think people would understand others if they just walk a mile in their shoes.
But your answer does not indicate understanding for anyone. Did fail to achieve your goals in life and now you wish to down others? If the qualifications are so low
why did you not achieve them?
The truth is you don’t understand and you to don’t know how to walk in anyone’s
shoes.
John…you, my friend, are a clueless individual. You may need to shadow a teacher for a day.
really? $50,000/year? for 180 days of classroom time that does not amount to an actual 8 hours of work in the classroom? and every federal holiday off? and every weekend off? and maybe a week at the school before the school year starts and a week after the school year ends? so $50,000/year for 190 days of work and not even a full 8 hour day in the classroom? with all the planning days, half days, early release days, planning periods spent not teaching? and then they get tenure after a few years of hanging around. as if that was not enough, they argue against standardized testing and against being held to account for student success. just listen to them complain about being forced to “teach to the test”…the test is on math, science, English and grammar. isn’t it true that those are the things that should be taught? so teaching to the test is opposed because teachers don’t want to teach reading, writing, math and history? this to the “profession” that has been shown to have the lowest entrance requirements of all degree programs at colleges and universities? pfft…and lets not forget the teachers out there having sex with students, passing students to the next grade that cannot read, write or do simple math? at $50,000/year, a teacher would make about $263/day or about $32.89/hour. phooey on that…
Pay in Escambia County has always been low for teachers. I started with them in 1985 and was paid the grand sum of $13,608.00 for my first year of teaching. When I left the district, 14 years later and with a master’s degree, I was earning $28,000 ($30,000 if I taught summer school). Of course, time is relative. Although a first year teacher makes more, the cost of living has increased proportionally and the pay still isn’t very competetive.
It’s been so long ago, but my first teaching job paid $3100 for nine months, the second year was $3150 for nine months. Then I moved from GA to Florida and earned $4500 for ten months work…still had to make up the difference for the two months…no welfare or EBT, food stamps…plus trying to earn a Masters Degree at GA Southern College…before it got big time now GSU.
Wouldn’t change it for anything…drive, dedication and wanting to do the best by my young family was the motivators and pride in keeping score at JR. High BB Games for $2.50 per game. Thank to John Oerlich for letting me sell hotdogs and cokes at PHS Stadium on Fri and Sat. You do what you have to do to!
No song of woe, just a song of…if you want to accomplish you can regardless of any obstacle!
At 75, I smile and even laugh at the excuses and reasons offered. He was working his/her GED. Your don’t work on such…,you either know it or your out in space!
Teachers have never been paid enough. My Masters Dissertation was on “Moonlighting to make a livable wage” The ire incurred over that was something to behold. I defended it because Statesboro was a tobacco town and by working in the tobacco warehouses with individuals that contributed to Ga. Southern and its endeavors…I was granted a “pass”, so to speak for “moonlighting” at .90 cents an hr.
Pay a premium wage and expect premium results. Get principals that will be willing to document sorry/no account teachers, build a file and after attempts to rehabilitate, fire the slackers.
Just a Sage thought!
@My2Cents – Good point, but it will never happen. Look what happens when the minimum wage increases, does everyone’s wage increase the same percentage? What about all these fast food workers demanding a $15/hr wage, do you think those who has been working for a while to climb to $15/hr are going to see their pay increase as well? No!
Heck, I’ve known people that have worked someplace for years and when they increased new employee wages, the new employees were making $0.25/hr more than they were!
“does not detail the increased cost of moving to such a minimum salary.”
Sounds a lot like Odumba’s pipe dream about free community college. Looks great on paper until you start trying to figure out how to pay for the delusional fantasy.
Great idea, but why stop there? How about paying Cops $50,000 a year? And firefighters….and soldiers, and sailors, and marines, etcetera.
While we’re spending someone else’s money, why $50,000? Why not $100,000 per year? It’s just taxes, right?
for it on the condition they junk common core. a terrible plan
I agree 110% MM!!!
I agree 110% M!!!
Perhaps Senator Soto would be willing to donate a substantial portion of their salary to help fund a teacher’s pay raise.
Every year we hear about teachers needing raises but we never hear about the state employees geting raise. They eay underpaid.
Qualified candidates are becoming harder and harder to find. Young people are not actively seeking out education as a profession. The negativity puts towards the focus on testing and low salaries are driving qualified candidates to other professions.
Teaching is no longer a valued profession and it shows with the applicant pool.
$50 K per year is not even on par with the rest of the country. Hard to attract teachers from other parts of country with the pittance they pay the Escambia County School teachers. More pay might keep teachers around longer (many leave because the pay is not worth the work required.)
GOOD teachers…effective teachers…teachers that teach and encourage students to learn…should in fact receive raises…
The teachers unions will not allow that to happen. There are teachers in the system (Escambia County) that have NO business darkening the doors of our schools.
The system is TOP heavy with administrators that create nothing but extra work for teachers.
My wife teaches in this county. If the school district would pay for supplies and extra items my wife needs and uses…she would immediately receive a raise of about two thousand dollars a year.
It’s time something is done…but the fact remains, as long as the unions are protecting those “educators” that don’t educate…then the ineffective teachers will remain in the system, “educating” our kids and the cycle continues.
BAD educators are BAD for our kids.
Unions are bad for our kids…
But yet we point our fingers at all teachers and blame them for the results that we produce in May with report cards…
If you are a parent…get your lazy tail off the couch and go to a PTA meeting…ask the teacher if there is anything she/he needs…
Heck, we give the students:
Free Breakfast
Free Lunch
Free supplies
…..and the list goes on…
Stop playing video games with your kids and do homework with them…volunteer time in the classroom…find out what you teacher is teaching your child…or more importantly…WHAT the AREN’T teaching your child…
Period…
The only salary controls that should be out there are for lawmakers. Senators should not be paid and should serve on a voluntary basis for 2 or 4 year terms as the country’s framers first envisioned.
I’m all for increasing everyone’s pay. A 35% increase sounds pretty excessive, though.
Are we really having a problem finding teachers to hire? That’s the indicator that pay is too low.
An increase in the minimum pay for teachers is a wonderful proposal as long as the entire pay schedule is proportional. It would certainly not be fair for beginning teacher salaries to jump from $38,000, for example, to $50,000 unless a teacher who spent twenty-two years working his/her way up to $50,000 received a proportionate raise. In order to implement a fairly proportioned salary schedule, the increase would be exorbitant. For example, based on an approximate Escambia County salary schedule, a beginning teacher’s pay being increased from $36,899 to $50,000 is a 35.5% raise. The pay for a teacher with twenty-four years of teaching experience should then increase from $57,860 to $78,400 if the formula is strictly a percentage. No matter what the formula, the pay increases would be expensive. Although it would certainly get my vote, I doubt lawmakers will approve such a costly undertaking.