Open_Veins_8 OP t1_jae4vfn wrote
As for the underlying conditions contributing to the root causes of the teacher shortage, the report suggests a lack of respect for teachers in the U.S. may be partially to blame, citing the favorable workplace conditions and generous pay teachers receive in other developed nations, and comparing the general treatment of American teachers to the treatment of those in other professions.
sintactacle t1_jaeqgg3 wrote
I live in a somewhat rural area of the state and the lack of respect and resentment towards teachers is real for a segment of the population. They will fight against any attempt to raise local taxes to increase funding for schools. The thought of more of their paycheck going towards funding schools is something they cannot stomach because their pay is already suppressed and below average for their line of work.
They, or as they see it, nobody else, is putting a fight for them for their financial well-being so why should they be forced to improve the well-being of teachers and their own kids in school.
There's a reason teachers don't like living in this district they teach in due to the local hostility this scenario naturally creates. In their eyes, it's not okay to see a teacher drive a newer car then them, go out to eat at a restaurant when they rarely do or even have nicer clothes then them.
They don't want to risk the repercussions of trying to improve their own financial well-being or maybe it's not even a thought to them, I don't know. They would rather see others deal with their current struggles and misfortunes then try to improve their current situation.
It's a work harder, not smarter mentality they live by. Nobody should get more than the 2% a year "If you're lucky!" raise they have gotten each year for the past x years at company z. If you want to make more money, put in 30 hours of overtime. Instead of fighting for better wages, which they truly deserve, they'd rather do what they can to bring others down to their level.
ThePizzaTimeBandit t1_jaf11mv wrote
I think part of the issue here that's not addressed is how grossly overpaid school administration can be. Raising taxes != teachers getting paid more. If it did, people's tunes might change. Just as an example, one superintendent in Reading school district makes 245k a year.
https://govsalaries.com/mumin-khalid-144652791
That's ridiculous, especially considering how economically depressed Reading is.
ArlingtonHeights t1_jaf48ka wrote
This.
The number and cost of administration in schools has been increasing exponentially for decades while teacher salaries have stayed relatively flat.
Pink_Slyvie t1_jaf3arc wrote
For a superintendent job, that doesn't seem too high, they would make more than that in the private sector with the needed skills.
Pink_Slyvie t1_jaewt57 wrote
Raising taxes is one solution, an arguably better one is raising minimum wage to a living wage, the increased tax revenue would let them easily increase wages (I doubt they would, but still).
In reality though, teaching needs to be a universal. The quality of your education shouldn't be lower because the cost of living there is.
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