Would you be a teacher for a soul sucking $8.66 an hour?

By Nadine E. Gallagher

Special to The Gayly

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was six years old in Miss Schimenti’s first grade. She invited the whole class to her wedding; she taught me to spell coffee. I wanted to be just like her. I don’t think she ever qualified for food stamps, but I know far too many teachers who do.

 
Everyone I meet just loves teachers, have nothing but respect for the hard work we do; but they would never want to be a teacher, and they aren’t nearly as loving of us when it’s time to open their wallets. Sarcasm doesn’t usually rear its ugly head until you get into the part about how it must be nice to have summers off, to only work six hours a day, to watch movies, etc. You know the drill, you’ve heard it. 

Most importantly our legislators in Oklahoma love teachers! They have nothing be respect for us, too. Yet these teacher-loving fools are the first to do everything in their power to put public schools out of business, either by habitually underfunding the education budget or sending our public monies to private schools in the form of vouchers. 

Oklahoma legislators are the 15th highest paid in the nation. Oklahoma teachers are some of the lowest paid in the country. We’ve even passed the “at least we aren’t Mississippi” line in the sand; they pay their teachers $34,400 to start compared with our $31,600. Our only hope to stay at 49th is South Dakota and they are looking at ways to implement a teacher pay raise. How does having the lowest paid teachers in the country sound? Because that is where we are headed.

Teachers never expect to get rich. We never expect lavish European vacations, or cleaning services, certainly never a Mercedes; but a long weekend in Branson maybe? I couldn’t afford even that, nor could many of the teachers I know. 

Teachers are professionals. We are required to be college graduates in order to show up for the interview. We are required to continue our education; in fact, many of us have Master’s degrees. According to the minimum salary standards in Oklahoma, it is possible to be a teacher with a Ph.D. who earns just $46,000 after 25 years in the classroom. 
There are few state jobs in Oklahoma that require professional credentials the equal of teachers. One is Auditor. The starting salary is $26,500, which is terrible; but you can expect to end your career at $64,300.

I read again and again that we need to produce educated, skilled workers to compete in a global economy. That does not happen in a vacuum. That happens with teachers, and lots of them, teachers with experience who know how to reach a kid who lives in a home without a single book. These kids need teachers who love them, because sometimes the only smile my kids see is mine. 

Sometimes the only time my students eat is when they are at school. How do you tell a kid that they can’t eat your apple when you can see in their eyes that they are hungry and lunch is an hour away? You don’t, you give them the apple, and write yourself a note to buy another bag for the rest of this week, and all the while worry that there won’t be enough for your own children.

 
A colleague of mine recently broke down his monthly pay by the hours he actually works teaching Seventh grade English. I knew it would be low, I just didn’t know that it would be a soul sucking $8.66 an hour. When you factor in non-contract hours before and after school, evenings and weekends, many teachers work more than 60 hours a week. How is that respect? It feels like contempt. It feels likes punishment for choosing a career that puts people before things, children before money.

All this leads to the ever present, “How do we pay for it?” The newest foolish idea is to fund education with a sales tax, or what I call Oklahoma’s “have you ever heard anything so crazy in your life” plan. Oklahoma has the sixth highest sales tax in the nation. We also have some of the lowest property and income taxes. 

Oklahoma also has a relatively high rate of poverty. Our ranking is 36th in the nation for poverty, certainly not dead last but we can do better. Due to the high rate of poverty, it is important to note that sales tax hits low-income families hardest. Because they have such a small amount of disposable income, a high rate of sales tax can make the difference between getting the new shoes or not! 

Perhaps a teacher should sit down with the Governor and the leaders in the legislature, and explain how successful states don’t cut income tax and give almost a billion dollars in tax credits when education is being defunded at such a rapid rate. According to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Oklahoma has cut per-pupil funding for public schools by nearly 25 percent. 

In contrast, 35 states raised education funding for the 2015-2016 school year. I’ve grown tired of people telling me how much they respect me. If you think what I do is so damned important, don’t just tell me, show me. Pay me a living wage.

Teacher Salaries
National median salary 
High school teachers - $55,360
Elementary teachers - $56,160
Surrounding states
Colorado - $49,844
Texas – $48,110
Missouri - $47,517
Kansas – $47,464
Arkansas – $46,632
Oklahoma - $44,128
(State averages – Washington Post)

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The Gayly- 2/8/2016 @ 9:50 AM CST