$125,000 a year for every teacher? Quick, update your resume!

I think I speak for most educators when I saw that I was floored when I read this article in the NY Times. I mean, every teacher in the school will be making $125,000 a year and the principal will be making $90,000 a year. Everything is upside down, dogs and cats are living together, the devil is strapping on ice skates as we speak.

So is this the big grand ol’ teaching lottery? Is every person within 200 miles of NY going to be dusting off their resume and applying for the positions? While they do state that the roles are going to be a little more rigorous and that there will be extra responsibilities, let’s face it, who among us are only doing the things specified in our job description? I think we’re all used to put in quite a bit of overtime as need be. So nothing new there.

I think this does bring up a larger question of, how do you measure the worth of a teacher? How will they determine who deserves the six figure salary?

The school’s teachers will be selected through a rigorous application process outlined on its Web site, www.tepcharter.org, and run by Mr. Vanderhoek. There will be telephone and in-person interviews, and applicants will have to submit multiple forms of evidence attesting to their students’ achievement and their own prowess; only those scoring at the 90th percentile in the verbal section of the GRE, GMAT or similar tests need apply. The process will culminate in three live teaching auditions.

So there you go. Quantitative results along with live ‘auditions’. Not a bad way to go. I’m sure we’ll get some arguments about whether that really ensures they’ll get the best of the best, but you do need to pick some criteria and run with it.

That being said, as a former teacher I know that I felt I had a legitimate right to complain about my salary. Especially when they asked us to come in on weekends, stay late for events, and other such things. However, would a higher salary really have changed all that?

To be honest, this charter school kinda scares me. If they spend this incredible amount of money, hire only the ‘best’ teachers and STILL have the same issues that every other school has… well, what does that say about our educational system and the way we assess it? And if they ARE successful, are they basically ‘proving’ that schools won’t be successful until salaries increase and teachers are paid what they feel they are worth? That could lead to some rather messy negotiations in the next few years.

And of course, the biggest question to me is, how much of it is the money versus that age old formula of caring teachers who have high expectations in a supportive environment with clear vision and leadership.

One last question that I’d love to hear your thoughts on:
Would you rather work in an environment where you had little technology, little extra support, but complete autonomy and made six figures, or an environment where you had aids, ample technology, shorter hours, less responsibility outside traditional duties, but ‘only’ made $60,000. Which would you choose?

9 Comments

Jay
3/11/2008

This isn’t even a question for me and probably won’t be for many others. If given the choice between more money and less support or less money and more support, I’ll take the less money. Most of us never got into the profession for the money anyway. If I could have access to the latest tech, teacher aides, safe classrooms, etc., it’s really a no brainer. Higher teacher salaries are nice and all, but what’s more money if you’re still miserable because you don’t have the necessary tools or support. I also wonder what’s going to happen to a building who’s principal is still ultimately responsible for the day to day business of the school, still has to evaluate the teachers, deal with student discipline, etc., but is being paid less than the teachers? All the headaches and less pay than the staff you are supervising? That doesn’t sound like a winning formula to me!

Carla
3/11/2008

Why is it either/or? How about this: technology, classroom aide, respect for professional judgment (autonomy), reasonable hours and duties, AND a 6-figure salary?

Let me dream …

Ben
3/11/2008

Since I make considerably less than either of the two amounts, I’ll gladly take the 60 grand and all of the support that comes along with it.

And for 125K, I think I might just go out and hire my own personal para-pro, still make more than I have today, and have enough resources to pile a heap of technology and resources on any problem.

Jenny
3/11/2008

I’d take less money and all the extras, but I also want respect for what I do. I can live with less money (and of course I do). However, I find it very frustrating that teachers are treated so poorly. As individuals people are often impressed by the career choice, but as a society we clearly do not value it. I would rather see that change than the salary.

Paul Wilkinson
3/12/2008

Or you could work in NZ where we have the worst of both worlds!! Little technology, incredible hours, ridiculous levels of responsibility, little support, and about 60,000 (NZ) if you are lucky.

But hey! We aren’t in it for the money. I’d still stick with the thrill of seeing significant changes happening in the lives of the children I interact with. When a non reader suddenly wants to read, that is worth it.

Chad
3/12/2008

I agree with just about everything the previous comments discussed. Give the technology, give me the support, give me the respect.

As a friend once told me, you can marry more money in a minute than you can make in a lifetime!

Gary Miller
3/12/2008

As a South Dakota teacher (last in the nation in teacher pay) with 29 years in the classroom, I have to say the $60k looks very good. I agree with Ben. I’d take the $125k and use the extra to get the extras I need. Think I could do that for less than the difference. While it is true I didn’t get into teaching for the money, as I get closer to retirement it sometimes seems like I might have made a poor choice. If I didn’t have a second career in the Nat’l Guard, I could never afford to retire. Time to do something to get and keep good educators!

[...] $125,000 a Year for Every Teacher? Quick, Update Your Resume! [...]

Payday Loan Advocate
9/15/2008

We should really select the best teacher because they are paid to teach the students very well. If the teachers are doing their job rightly there’s no question with that. We must be thankful to our teachers because without them you’re nothing. Without them we would just remain ignorant.
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