Think back to the teachers who helped you become who you are today and then ask yourself, “Would they have been able to help me as much if they had to work a second job or found it necessary to rely on a food bank to put food on their family’s table?” Such things are happening to our children’s favorite teachers today, right here in Ravalli County. Why? Because we foolishly allow this situation to exist.
A study released earlier this year, based upon compensation figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that in 2015, the weekly wages of public school teachers in the United States were 17 percent lower than comparable college-educated professionals. Montana is among the majority of states that, over the last decade, have allowed teacher’s pay to fall far behind the cost of living.
Yes, Montana has the lowest average starting pay in the nation for teachers, but the erosion of teacher wages has fallen more heavily on experienced teachers—who contribute the most to high-quality education—than on entry-level teachers. Wages for the most experienced teachers have steadily deteriorated, from a 1.9 percent advantage in 1996 to a 17.8 percent disadvantage in 2015.
Teachers are the most important part of any school. Undermining them financially does not allow them to do their best work. And, the quality of their work matters greatly as they prepare students to participate in our community and our shared civic life.
We live in a society where those being entrusted with teaching our youth who, as adults, will someday manage our future, are a part of the working poor. Do you really believe that a teacher having a second job or relying on a food bank just to eat is a sound idea?
Since you are reading this, you had some great teachers who helped you learn to read, developed your curiosity, and nurtured your desire to acquire information about the community and the world in which you live. In fact, your success in life is partially (if not mostly) attributable to the great teachers who provided your education.
Yet teachers’ salaries have stagnated for four decades. And we should not kid ourselves. Allowing the status quo to continue is a choice we are making. Unfortunately, those effective teachers who choose not to live in poverty will leave the profession. That is a loss to our community, our state, and our nation.
Claims that teachers only work 9 months of 8-hour days a year and therefore are already overpaid are not based on facts. Yes, teachers are paid over a 12-month period for work performed during 9 months. But during that 9 months, teachers typically work 12 hours a day—they do not have enough time during the school day to complete all that is required and have to work at home in the evening and during weekends—which equates to substantially more hours on the job that most people who are employed full time (2,000 hours per year). Plus, to keep their certification, the State requires teachers to complete on-going educational requirements. All that adds up to a more-than-full-time job few of us would be willing or capable of performing.
Every one of us benefits when living in a community composed of adequately educated people and not, as some claim, just those who have children attending public schools. Educated people design and maintain the infrastructure (roads, water, sewers, bridges, telephones, etc.) all of us depend on every day. They run banks, operate every level of government, treat us when we’re ill, and repair our vehicles. It is the responsibility of each of us, especially those of us fortunate enough to be property owners, to pay what is required to provide the opportunity for the children in our community to receive an excellent education.
Supporting public education and elevating teachers with your property tax dollars is your chance to show what your values truly are. As community members, we should encourage educational opportunities by paying teachers what our students, democracy, and future are worth.
So, when your local school district asks you, a property owner, to pay a little more in taxes, please do it! You’ll be helping yourself, your neighbors, and your community.
Remember, teaching is not rocket science, it’s far more difficult! Only the most well-trained and experienced do it well.
Michael Hoyt
Corvallis