Texas ISD’s Owe Staggering $111.5 Billion in Debt

[slow99]

I can't speak for nurses, but most teachers are not underpaid.

I don't know if I'd say they're underpaid either ... I'd probably go with fairly paid. I did see something going around Facebook the other day that we should increase teachers' pay to a "living wage" ... wtf.

[BP]

I can't speak for nurses, but most teachers are not underpaid.

They get paid pretty well if you use the same 12/9 criteria. My niece is an RN and works as a nurse in a local elementary school. She took a good 30% pay cut vs working in a hospital but she gets 3 months off a year and a relatively stress free environment with normal office hours. That and none of her patients have died.

[Broncojohnny]

Every ass clown thinks they are underpaid.

[GhostTX]

3 months of vacation a year plus 2+ weeks of vacation plus holidays during the 9 months? And who doesn't work overtime? Sounds like a decent gig to me. I have friend who WON'T go into the private sector from being a teacher because of all the time off. It's like living in France, for crying out loud.

[juiceweezl]

I think he means it different then it came out.

Lets say for example a teacher makes 55k/yr.

if they "only work 9 months" then 55k divided by 9 is 6111/mnth.

if they make that a month, in nine months,then at that rate of pay, if worked 12 months, would be 73k.

This...

He said prorated, salary divided by .75

$55k = $73k.

...and this.

I don't know if I'd say they're underpaid either ... I'd probably go with fairly paid. I did see something going around Facebook the other day that we should increase teachers' pay to a "living wage" ... wtf.

Exactly. In fact, some are overpaid. My wife teaches writing/language arts. She spends a lot of time prepping lesson plans, leading her team (which often means doing all their prep too), and grading papers at home. In contrast, there are many teachers that barely do any planning (because they use someone else's lesson plans or otherwise) and do not have to do extra work after school or at home like grading papers. If you look at it on a pay per hour perspective, those teachers are overpaid to be honest. She doesn't complain though because a) she chose to teach ILA and she enjoys it; and b) if she was upset, then she'd change areas or jobs instead of complain.

My wife also works during the summer teaching seminars, writing curriculum, etc. By the time we pay a sitter for the boys, she barely nets anything from those hours. As Brent suggested, it's nowhere near the normal pay rate. She doesn't do it for the money though. She felt like she needed to pay her dues, and she enjoyed the work. Now, she feels it's someone else's turn. She's helping some during the summer, but she's also letting those opportunities pass to others that may want them.

If teachers are lacking anywhere, it's in the benefit department, but that and ACA don't belong in this thread.

[big_tiger]

It's not salaries that are the problem. I would look at the solutions that districts buy, that never work.

I shouldn't say much else.

[kingjason]

I can't speak for nurses, but most teachers are not underpaid. Again, my wife teaches, and she'll agree with me on this one. She is also one who spends a ton of hours at home grading papers and preparing for classes, not the PE teacher who does nothing outside of roll a ball out and watch the kids during class. Keep in mind most teachers work 9 months out of the year. If you prorate it out, many make upper 70's to 80K a year, often more. That's not too shabby, and is not underpaid.

Careful about the PE teacher that does nothing. My wife is a athletic trainer and she has three classes of PE. Most of the people that are over PE are coaches or trainers. During football season my wife goes to work at 6am and sometimes she doesn't get home until 12pm or later. The school district she works for now does this with all athletic trainers except the head guy. She had health, and then some of them teach athletic training and it was terrible during the major sports season. So there is a reason they give those people PE and other classes of that nature. I would actually say her hours are on par for the year as most working adults. Her salary is good for her line of work.

Same way with my job. I work almost half a year technically by days off. However, when I am at work, I am there a long time. Don't get me wrong, I loveeeeeee 12 hour shifts and all of the days off. It is just a beating sometimes on the long week ends.

[juiceweezl]

Careful about the PE teacher that does nothing. My wife is a athletic trainer and she has three classes of PE. Most of the people that are over PE are coaches or trainers. During football season my wife goes to work at 6am and sometimes she doesn't get home until 12pm or later. The school district she works for now does this with all athletic trainers except the head guy. She had health, and then some of them teach athletic training and it was terrible during the major sports season. So there is a reason they give those people PE and other classes of that nature. I would actually say her hours are on par for the year as most working adults. Her salary is good for her line of work.

Same way with my job. I work almost half a year technically by days off. However, when I am at work, I am there a long time. Don't get me wrong, I loveeeeeee 12 hour shifts and all of the days off. It is just a beating sometimes on the long week ends.

My wife used to coach, and I've coached high school baseball. I'm very familiar with coaching structure and responsibilities. Yes, there are those like your wife that are putting in long hours and likely getting paid accordingly. There are also many coaches teaching PE that do nothing -- I know many personally. I also know what football coaches get paid in TX, and yes, they are overpaid to coach a sport that is far less important than the classroom.

For the record, teachers like my wife don't get an off season to teach PE because they had to work long hours during football season. I get your point and agree to an extent, but I'm still not going with underpaid.

[YALE]

You do realize Obama was elected by voters...twice! While I agree expenditures should be public and voted on, the problem is the people that vote (or don't vote).

You don't think that might drive a few more people to the polls?

[kingjason]

My wife used to coach, and I've coached high school baseball. I'm very familiar with coaching structure and responsibilities. Yes, there are those like your wife that are putting in long hours and likely getting paid accordingly. There are also many coaches teaching PE that do nothing -- I know many personally. I also know what football coaches get paid in TX, and yes, they are overpaid to coach a sport that is far less important than the classroom.

For the record, teachers like my wife don't get an off season to teach PE because they had to work long hours during football season. I get your point and agree to an extent, but I'm still not going with underpaid.

This is her love and dream job. No one ever explained that she would have to teach three to four classes mixed in with it, which is not something she prefers. Hopefully she will be going to a newer school next year that utilizes their trainers for training only. That will be the perfect job for her. We have had several discussions on teachers making the right amount of money considering the time off. Neither of us really think anyone is under paid. My wife could have chosen just a handful of different classes and been a physical therapist, but she loves what she does. I tried to tell her an 8-5 gig wouldn't be bad.

[2000 vert]

my wife has been teaching for 15 years. We both agree that they are not underpaid, when considering the days they work. The perspective i like is breaking it down by day. The average 5day a week employee with 2 weeks vacation will work around 247 days a year. A normal teacher will work a 180 days a year. Both at 50k a year. One makes $202 a day, one makes $277 a day. $77 a day is a big difference.

[kingjason]

Also, just for the record. My wife does not everrrrrr get the holiday weeks and summers off. Nor does she get every weekend off. They always have something going on. Both spring and Xmas break she usually works three days or so. During the summer, every sport has different schedules and practice times. Like I said, she makes good coin, but she puts in her hours. We have a white board calendar on the wall we both put our schedules on. Really a good thing we have no kids. I would have had to drop them at the fire station a long time ago.

[Cooter]

Also, just for the record. My wife does not everrrrrr get the holiday weeks and summers off. Nor does she get every weekend off. They always have something going on. Both spring and Xmas break she usually works three days or so. During the summer, every sport has different schedules and practice times. Like I said, she makes good coin, but she puts in her hours. We have a white board calendar on the wall we both put our schedules on. Really a good thing we have no kids. I would have had to drop them at the fire station a long time ago.

my wife is a music teacher... and as a damn good one, she worked almost constantly until she moved to elementary... now she's only gone 6-6 M-F most weeks. but she works twice as hard at school now. not sure if you've spent much time with elementary age kids, but FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK that! LOL

unfortunately all of her old colleagues still call on her to help with shows/productions/etc. so she still gives away a lot of days/nights, but it's about 1/10 what it used to be.

good teachers deserve every penny and more of what they're paid... the lazy spiteful assholes who have no business being teachers have no business being teachers, but who the fuck else are you going to get to put up with trying to be a teacher in this PC nightmare we live in now? LOL

[kingjason]

but who the fuck else are you going to get to put up with trying to be a teacher in this PC nightmare we live in now? LOL

For the win!

And when they get older and don't understand the concept of working for anything they earned or discipline, it's my fault they are in jail!

[Broncojohnny]

I think the thread kind of got off on a tangent. While I think teachers are paid a reasonable wage I'll be the first to say that their salary is probably the best place to spend any additional money put into the system. I think in very few cases would someone argue that new capital spending would be a better place to spend money than simply paying more to the people actually teaching.

The focus of this thread should be the waste in the system which is spent on administrators, fancy stadiums (and other worthless sports shit) and catering to the least common denominator of our society.