Teacher pay cuts and layoffs
I never thought I would see the day when teachers' salaries get cut and massive teacher layoffs occur. Unfortunately that day is here.
Where I work the district is proposing a 2-3% pay cut in addition to furlough days. Additionally, by increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, dozens of teachers will lose their jobs.
Since the dawn of the profession, teachers have lacked many niceties other private sector workers have enjoyed such as pleasant working conditions and earning pay commiserate with one's skill. The one pay-off has always been job security and salary stability. Teachers have gone years without a pay increase but never a pay decrease.
Many teachers will be starting a new work year this fall with very low morale. Let's hope the economy can rebound so that a few years from now teachers will get back to where they were in 2009.
Share your stories here.
Where I work the district is proposing a 2-3% pay cut in addition to furlough days. Additionally, by increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, dozens of teachers will lose their jobs.
Since the dawn of the profession, teachers have lacked many niceties other private sector workers have enjoyed such as pleasant working conditions and earning pay commiserate with one's skill. The one pay-off has always been job security and salary stability. Teachers have gone years without a pay increase but never a pay decrease.
Many teachers will be starting a new work year this fall with very low morale. Let's hope the economy can rebound so that a few years from now teachers will get back to where they were in 2009.
Share your stories here.
Where I live and work we are seeing what feels like a nightmare. Veteran teachers are being let go midyear on any excuse and long-term subs being brought in with no hope of getting an offer for next year. Schools are being closed and the students being doubled up in other facilities. The huge class sizes are resulting in management issues with which even experienced teachers are struggling to cope. To make it even more challenging, the budgets are being frozen and salaries are being hit the hardest.
Unfortunately, the rest of the job market is so poor that we can't even get work outside of teaching so many of us are stuck hoping for work as subs or collecting unemployment.
I'm grateful I have a position, been in the same school for years, and seem to be in good standing. But it's still scary because who knows what can happen? I'm just grateful I teach math and math teachers are in short supply.
I'm also an education junkie. I just absolutely live for the "aha moments" and thrive on my middle schooler's and all of their craziness. If I didn't need the money, I'd work this gig for free.
Who knows? Maybe the competition for jobs will weed out some of the untalented, lazy, and ineffective teachers - leaving room for high-quality educators to thrive and grow? Sort of survival of the fittest?
Let's hope so.
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Thank you, Margaret, for sharing your story. Let's hope you're right that the teachers who are let go happen to be the more incompetent ones.
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