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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, the median income in the US was $54,132/yr [1] and the US Census Bureau says median household income was $

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, the median income in the US was $54,132/yr [1] and the US Census Bureau says median household income was $70,784/yr [2]. I'm not opposed to teachers making $60k/yr, but I think setting this as a floor at a federal level for what is one of the most common professions in the US [3] will have significant and serious unintended consequences. There is a massive amount of territory in the US, where people reside, and are entitled to a public education, that are not major cities with significant tax income. These places don't have the necessary population and tax base to pay this type of salary for a teacher. Let's take a look at one such state, Missouri, basically smack in the middle of the country. It has two major cities (Kansas City and St Louis) and a significant number of rural communities. The average salary for a teacher in Missouri is $51557/yr [4] but falls to around $40k/yr in rural areas like Marceline and Fredericktown, while being nearly $60k/yr in major cities like KC and STL. If you compare this to another common public profession, police officers, you see a similar story [5] with average pay around $58k/yr, but falling to less than 40k/yr starting for communities like Fredericktown [6] and Marceline [7]. How are small communities supposed to pay teachers $60k/yr? The reality is that politicians and pundits on the coasts never give a thought in their mind to "flyover country" or how rural and urban economics differ in the US. Instead, we try to manipulate the economy at the federal level, not giving any credence to the fact the United States is geographically massive with exceedingly varied local and regional economies and cultures. [1]: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf [2]: https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-276.html https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/demo/p60-27... [3]: https://www.weareteachers.com/how-many-teachers-are-in-the-us/ https://www.weareteachers.com/how-many-teachers-are-in-the-u... [4]: https://missouri.teach.org/salary-benefits-missouri https://missouri.teach.org/salary-benefits-missouri [5]: https://www.salary.com/research/salary/alternate/police-officer-salary/mo https://www.salary.com/research/salary/alternate/police-offi... [6]: https://www.indeed.com/career/police-officer/salaries/Fredericktown--MO https://www.indeed.com/career/police-officer/salaries/Freder... [7]: http://marcelinemo.us/home/employment.html http://marcelinemo.us/home/employment.html

bfeynman 4y ago
keep in mind that teachers only work 9 months of the year as well. Not really that impressive to take a 2nd job when you have 3 months in the summer to do whatever you want.
- Loughla 4y ago
  So I'm married to a teacher, I taught, and I still work in education. Many teachers take graduate courses, do extra-curriculars for students, teach summer school, and prep for the fall/spring in the summer. It's not just free time for many teachers, but it is unpaid time. You can't just hand wave away the work they do all year long because you want to. edit: I just thought of this. My wife, who has taught for over 15 years, only gets 4 days of PTO a year. Any other time she needs off is unpaid, as well. So, how much PTO do you get a year?
  - bfeynman 4y ago
    I don't really see how any of those things are peculiar compared to normal jobs. Teachers usually get paid for extracurriculars and summer school, maybe a small lump sum but still. The PTO argument is ridiculous, teachers get off for school breaks and the whole summer, way more than average workers. Yes their vacation schedule during year is a little rigid, but that is pretty obvious tradeoff. Not to mention their benefits persist over the summer anyway so they are compensated year round.
Loughla 4y ago
You're not wrong. And - to compound this problem, many states rely heavily on local property taxes to fund education, leading to even more disparity between rural and low-income areas where the property is worth less, so taxed for a lower total than in high-value, high-tax urban areas. So. What do we do with that?

bfeynman 4y ago

keep in mind that teachers only work 9 months of the year as well. Not really that impressive to take a 2nd job when you have 3 months in the summer to do whatever you want.

Loughla 4y ago
So I'm married to a teacher, I taught, and I still work in education. Many teachers take graduate courses, do extra-curriculars for students, teach summer school, and prep for the fall/spring in the summer. It's not just free time for many teachers, but it is unpaid time. You can't just hand wave away the work they do all year long because you want to. edit: I just thought of this. My wife, who has taught for over 15 years, only gets 4 days of PTO a year. Any other time she needs off is unpaid, as well. So, how much PTO do you get a year?
- bfeynman 4y ago
  I don't really see how any of those things are peculiar compared to normal jobs. Teachers usually get paid for extracurriculars and summer school, maybe a small lump sum but still. The PTO argument is ridiculous, teachers get off for school breaks and the whole summer, way more than average workers. Yes their vacation schedule during year is a little rigid, but that is pretty obvious tradeoff. Not to mention their benefits persist over the summer anyway so they are compensated year round.

Loughla 4y ago

You're not wrong. And - to compound this problem, many states rely heavily on local property taxes to fund education, leading to even more disparity between rural and low-income areas where the property is worth less, so taxed for a lower total than in high-value, high-tax urban areas. So. What do we do with that?