Van Jones slams Huckabee: The average teacher doesn’t make $100,000

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Raw Story

Van Jones slams Huckabee: The average teacher doesn’t make $100,000
By Andrew Jones
Sunday, June 10, 2012 15:35 EDT

Former Obama administration green czar Van Jones criticized Republicans’ latest attack on public workers and their unwillingness to pass legislation that would help the country’s economy recover Sunday morning.

Appearing on ABC’s This Week panel, Jones hit back at former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s usual attack on public employees, including expressing a belief that most public school teachers make up to $100,000 in Chicago in salary and benefits.

“Look, first of all, maybe I raised wrong, I never heard of this threat to American called ‘public employee,’” Jones said. “In my neighborhood, we called them teachers, we called them firefighters, we called them cops, we called them nurses. And we were told to look up at them and respect them. And to now be a punching bag, people like my father and my mother, who were public school teachers who did not make $100,000 and whatever you just said and nothing near it, for them to become a punching bag is wrong.”

“Furthermore, I think we to need to take a big step back here. When you have the amount of pain in this country, the Republican Party has not only been missing in action, they won’t pass their own bills to help Americans right now. They won’t pass their own ideas to help small businesses right now. Why? Because their gain will come when America has more pain.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/10/van-jones-slams-huckabee-the-average-doesnt-make-100000/

[Dont call me Shirley]

1. Way to go Van!

[Posteritatis]

2. It floors me that enough people think that that there's a need to refute it

Not that I expect most people to be anything other than clueless about teachers these days ("oh, they only work until three and get the whole summer off!" etc), but people buying into the idea that they make six figures is just stunning.

[GoCubsGo]

4. No kidding!

If teacher made that kind of money, people would be flocking to become teachers. And, we all know that it's quite the opposite. It really IS stunning that this needs to be refuted over and over and over again.

[fasttense]

45. Van is dead on with what he said, NOW if we can just get Mr. President and the

Democratic Party to start talking like this we might have a shot at taking back the State Houses, the congress, and Keep the White House.

[libinnyandia]

8. i remember many years ago the publisher of my home town newspaper said teachers were overpaid

babysitters. He was an idiot.

[Auntie Bush]

22. I remember when my husband made $7,000 a year teaching with 3 years experience, a masters

degree and 2 years credit for military service. It's taken nearly 50 years to get a decent salary for teachers...now they say they make too much. What a joke! They are still under paid for what they have to do with the students they get that don't respect them... plus many really nasty, pushy, irresponsible lazy parents. Teaching is not an easy job and deserves a lot more respect.

[xxqqqzme]

3. Good lord what a panel!

Why isn't Van Jones the founder/head of 'Rebuild the Dream' instead of "Former Obama administration green czar"?



Every time I have seen Jones, I have been impressed w/ his 'forest' vision while everyone else is focused on the 'trees'. We need leaders like him.

[Moostache]

41. Can't happen...

He would be shot dead inside of a month...there is no way the corporatacracy is going to down bloodlessly. People who try to change it - REALLY try to change it from the inside - will be the first casualties.

They will be victims of lone gunmen and crazed loners....
They will have unfortunate car "accidents" (or plane crashes in small aircraft)....
They will come down with mysterious heart ailments....had it since birth, unavoidable end, so sorry, very sad...
They will contract incurable illnesses or tragic "natural disasters" will fell them...

Its happened before....Kennedy, King, Kennedy, Little/X, and thousands of others.
It will happen again.

I just pray that Van Jones is not ever added to that sad list or fated to become another statistic. Same goes for Krugman, Warren, Grayson, Kaptur and anyone else in the public eye or public life who is actually concerned with other people's lives and rights instead of their own next election.

[fasttense]

46. Yes, your correct but do not forget that all it takes for EVIL to flourish is for GOOD men

(and women) to do NOTHING. Cliche I know but oh so very true.

[dotymed]

5. My Daughter will begin her first year teaching in TN.

Her starting pay is about $24,000. This is after 5 years of college (double major), 6 months of unpaid "student teaching&quot next year these unpaid student teachers will have to teach for an entire year ), astronomical tuition (thankfully she was a presidential scholarship winner who graduated cum laude), $150.00 for certification in each subject she wants to teach (4), textbooks (usually written by the instructor) from $200 to $500 each,...$24,000!
I began as a teacher and quickly joined the Carpenters Union so I could afford to raise my children. Education was much cheaper then and you did not have to be an "education major" in order to teach. If you were an English major, you (usually) taught English, etc..
How much money does a 1st year congressman make? A Senator? What are their perks (besides the huge pay-offs by corporations), their pensions ("earned" after 1-2 terms) how many days a year do they "work" for their $100,000+ salaries? What kind of schooling or training are they required to have?
What a fucking shame that these traitorous bastards can down-grade the real public servants.
What a country!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Swede Atlanta]

14. The disinformation is palpable.....

The right wants to characterize teachers as spoiled, overpaid drifters that suck off the public teat at great expense with no accountability...

I am the first to say we have challenges with our current public education system. We have many underperforming students and schools. We have a breakdown in class discipline, etc.

But much of that has its origins in the home life. Children are not being taught right from wrong. When a school raises a concern about student performance due to behavior, etc., the school is blamed.

Teachers are by far not overpaid. They are grossly UNDERPAID while politicians and religious wing-nut evangelicals are grossly overpaid.

Stop the attacks on public service employees that service our local communities with respect, commitment and honor. How day you, Mike Huckabee, a political slime bag, bad mouth teachers. I suggest God will have a very special place for you and it won't be on the God Educational Council.

[calimary]

32. Funny, it's THEM exploiting the "politics of envy."

With teachers, police, firefighters, nurses, and other public employees, the bad guys have FOR YEARS been repeating an "us versus them" them along the lines of "THEY have nice fat pensions. And YOU don't. But YOU'RE paying for them."

This is something I've been finding in my reading, A LOT, lately.

We have to understand the bad guys' mentality and their motivation, and the whole psychology of it and how they're crafting this stuff that millions of teabagger-types are swallowing whole. This has built them a BIGTIME advantage because it's all paying off now. We HAVE TO understand this, and find a way to turn it around, or at least turn it back on the bad guys.

[dana_b]

15. an entire year of teaching for free??

HOW are these people supposed to live? It's as if we want teachers to be oh-so-grateful for these opportunities and indebted for the "privilege" of having these jobs.
I know young people now who have talked about going into teaching but I will be honest and say that when I talk to them, I try to talk them OUT of doing it unless they have full rides and/or parents who can afford the costs. I just hate to see them so kicked down at such a young age.

[dotymed]

49. I tried and tried to talk her out of being a teacher.

She is so idealistic and a great communicator. She desperately wants to make a difference and is passionate about education. Maybe she will eventually go for her Phd. and become a professor.....Time will tell.

[Rozlee]

20. She's going to be in for some bigger shocks.

My son-in-law is a teacher in Beeville, TX. Not only does he have large classes, he also often has kids that are on anti-psychotic medications for schizophrenia and other personality disorders; some that have hearing impairments because the district can't afford special classes for them, or some that have learning and mental challenges. He had one kid once that used to walk around the class banging on everyone's desk and yelling, "No!" with each desk he hit. And each of those kids need to pass the TAKS. My son-in-law has come home bloody and bruised from take downs of violent kids and he often has to hold over time classes for the handicapped kids. Not only that, but he has to buy his own chalk markers and copier paper and other office supplies because the school doesn't have enough funds for it and a couple of years, the teachers had to chip in to buy textbooks to make up for a shortfall that the district couldn't afford. At the beginning of the year, the teachers usually all go to Sam's Club or Cosco and load up on school supplies because they know that there will be several kids in that poor school district that can't afford their own. If teachers did get over $100,000 a year, it wouldn't be enough.

[Ilsa]

26. I know what you're

talking about. I grew up near there. Beeville is Rough. Lots of poverty. It was better there when the naval air station was open; there was more government money.

I hope your son-in-law can manage to get through it. I hope all of the tracking will bring in more tax revenue for BISD.

[Rozlee]

54. Hope so too.

+1.

[Auntie Bush]

23. +1000

[virgogal]

30. The politicians only take care of themselves. Billy Bulger here

in MA has a pension of about $16,000.00 PER MONTH.

A pension.

[alittlelark]

42. +1000

[JDPriestly]

6. Van Jones is great. Obama should have stood by him.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Every time I see Van Jones...

I think exactly the same thing.

[dotymed]

50. When President Obama "caved" on Vann Jones

I was very pissed and hat was the point that I became resigned to reality and not hope...

[Jamaal510]

7. $100,000?!

Where did Mike Huggy Bear get that number from?

[NewJeffCT]

25. It's an MSU study

Make Shit Up

[SunSeeker]

28. I recall the study included college football coaches as "educators"

...seems that might have skewed the average a bit.

[jmowreader]

40. Very simple...

Declare John Smith, head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks football team, a teacher. (He makes $2.6 million per year.)

Then add his salary to the "effective" salary of a student teacher (if it costs $20,000 inclusive to attend college, subtract $20,000 from the zero dollars the student teacher is paid), and divide by two.

Finally, scale the number back to something his listeners will accept but is still completely outrageous because no one's going to believe a teacher makes $1.3 million a year, and spread it all over national TV.

This is about half a step up from just pulling a number out of your ass.

[Iliyah]

9. He pulled it from his fat arse

another so called "Christian" bearing false witness, who knew?

[LibDemAlways]

10. I'm a substitute teacher. Because of layoffs there are more

teachers joining the ranks of subs every day, meaning there are fewer sub jobs to go around. On days I get called, I make $100.00 for a full day, $50.00 for a half day. I have no benefits. Last month my paycheck was $650.00. Some months my paycheck is $150.00. During the summer my paycheck is $0.00. I would love to invite Huckabee to walk in my shoes for a month. He'd change his tune in a hurry.

[knitter4democracy]

37. Same here, and I don't get paid even that well.

Going rate here is $75/day, ten dollars more if you're a long-term sub. Huckabee couldn't last on our paychecks or a day in our shoes, and he well knows it. That's why he's attacking so hard.

[LibDemAlways]

44. The district i work for gets out of paying long term

subs more (anything 10 days and over is considered long term) by only allowing a particular sub to work 9 days on any given assignment and then replacing the sub with someone else for a day. It's crappy but a definite cost saver.

[knitter4democracy]

47. That's not just crappy--that's horrible!

I just got done with a semester-long assignment. I can't imagine the hell it would have been for the kids if they'd had someone new every 9 days.

[LibDemAlways]

52. The replacement just works for a day and then they bring the

first person back for another nine days. It's wrong and it sucks, but they'll do anything to save a buck.

[wordpix]

60. subs in my district make $60/day---absurd---if you want a good sub, you want someone with teaching

experience and not just a babysitter.

[LibDemAlways]

61. The problem is that many teachers think of the sub as a babysitter and leave a movie

or a puzzle or other just plain busywork. I am a credentialed teacher with a degree in English who would love to have the opportunity to actually teach a lesson. It rarely happens. The whole experience is generally very demoralizing.

[knitter4democracy]

63. After having been on both sides, there are good reasons for that.

I've left easy, well-written lesson plans only for the sub to tell the kids that she can't figure them out and so is just giving them a study hall, and I've had horrible plans that are boring as all get-out that I'm required to follow as a sub. The reason they leave movies is because so many subs screw up even the easiest of plans, and I've found that, if you get to know the teachers, they'll leave real plans for someone they know can teach them.

[rayofreason]

11. Average teacher salary...

... is closer to $50K, $70K when you include benefits.

http://www.teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-state

Chicago pays better, but not $100K for the average.

[Posteritatis]

16. And a lot of people don't rise much past those starting salaries in practice anyway. (nt)

[jillan]

19. It's more like 32K to start.

[knitter4democracy]

38. You have to look at that a bit more closely.

Most averages count administrators in there, as they are teachers or were teachers, too, and they make quite a bit more. Then you have to look at what the average number of years and degree-level are considering we get paid more with years of experience and higher degrees.

In many districts, you have to be there 15 years and have a master's degree before hitting $50K.

[awoke_in_2003]

12. Van Jones...

it the one person the administration should never have let go.

[kag]

17. "Boulder Valley starting teacher salary will be one of state's highest"

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-schools/ci_20756237/boulder-valley-starting-teacher-salary-will-be-one

This is a pretty good story about teacher salaries in the state of Colorado and specifically in The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD). We have some of the highest paid teachers in the state, but as the article says, even experienced teachers with a Masters degree can only get up to about $72,000--maximum.

Huckabee is an idiot.

[asjr]

18. Mr High and Mighty Huckabee will be turned

down by Satan when he passes on.

[Auntie Bush]

24. He won't pass on. He'll fry in all that fat.

[goclark]

21. Great American ~ Van Jones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones

"In July 2009 he became "embroiled in a controversy" over his past political activities, including a public comment disparaging congressional Republicans, his name appearing on a petition for 911Truth.org, and allegations of association with a Marxist group during the 1990s. For these issues, Van Jones was heavily criticized by conservatives. Jones resigned from the position in early September 2009. "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."

[SunSeeker]

27. K&R

[Rain Mcloud]

29. From

the Compensation Tables for Teacher's base pay:

Step "0" $30,890
Step "31" $46,460 Bachelor's degree

Step "0" $32,000
Step "31" $50,893 Master's degree

Step "0" $32,122
Step "31" $56,288 Doctorate degree

Source:[link:http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/site/personnel/compensation_schedules/certified.pdf#page=1|

I think Norquist and Rove are getting desperate to keep the tax cuts so they can funnel that into lobbying and campaign money.

[markmyword]

31. Teachers Still Poorest Paid

I'm so disgusted when I hear people saying teachers make $100,000 a year.

When my sister and I started teaching, we made $6,000 a year! Most teachers were woman, because men couldn't support a family on that salary.

If a man did teach, they ALWAYS had several other jobs to make ends meet. My friend had FOUR outside jobs,in addition to teaching, in order to support his family.

After 35 years, these teachers were lucky if they made $50,000 to 60,000 a year.

How many recent graduates do you know that walk out of college today making $60,000?

Even in good districts teachers are ALWAYS BUYING things for the classroom. In poor neighborhoods they are paying for student supplies, food, and clothing.

My sister had a poor student(in a good district) who needed a winter coat, shoes,and gloves, who do you think paid for them??? She did!

My daughter is in her fifth year of teaching in a RIGHT TO WORK state. After five years, she only makes $38,000.

She has student loans for undergraduate and now a graduate degree. She was told by her principal last year, that if the law passes,test scores will be tied to salaries. They were told that they could LOSE 30-35% of their salaries if the test scores were low.

Who could take a job, not knowing how much you will make? How do you buy a house, rent an apartment,or support a family, if you're salary can be REDUCED, because your students didn't do a good job on a test???

One minute you're hired for $24,000, then test scores are low, they REDUCE your salary by 35% and now you make $15,600?????

TEACHERS DESERVE EVERY DOLLAR THEY EARN.

I get annoyed when I hear someone say, "teachers have their summers off" and they earn a lot.

My daughter teachers 120-150 students, they have to have ALL their projects and daily work marked, just when during the day does she have time? In case anyone forget, teachers ARE TEACHING DURING THE DAY with very little planning time.

She takes it home, marks during the evening, Sat, Sun, and holidays.
Email is 24/7 so parents EXPECT her to get back to them ALL THE TIME. She's NOT GETTING paid enough to spend her weekends,and nights GETTING BACK to parents.

A handful of teachers who have worked YEARS AND YEARS may get a high salary, but not very many are getting $100,000.

Some salaries are increased the last 3 years before retirement, so their pension is a little higher, but they haven't earned high salaries while teaching.

More DEMOCRATS, should STAND UP for PUBLIC SERVANTS, they are the BACKBONE of our nation.

Too bad Obama didn't STAND BEHIND Van Jones!
Big THANK YOU to Van Jones, for slamming Huckabee down.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

39. I earn just under half $100,000

I wish they would pay us for all the extra hours we HAVE to do.

[Laochtine]

33. Galt them

A national strike?

[nanabugg]

34. Maybe it's time for folks to talk about physicians and the obscene salaries they make for basically

passing out pills. those who pass by your hospital door say hello and move on and add
$500 to you hospital bill...I could go on but why. People still revere docs above humanity but I could tell you some stories that would make your hair stand on end. If folks only knew who rally make the incisions and sered you up after surgery. And OBGYNs...mid wives have done the job for centuries with even results. Check out the infant mortality rates across nations before you flame me.

[SharonAnn]

51. I'm more concerned about hospital executives and health insurance executives.

They are the one pulling in really big bucks and aren't providing any health care.

[wordpix]

59. and oil & gas execs, pharma execs, construction co. execs, bank execs...the whole corporate

structure needs to go

[nanabugg]

66. In a lot of cases, they are one and the same. nt

[RainDog]

35. Huckabee is especially repulsive

He's someone who made money teaching lies - like creationism, as a pastor in an organization that has dedicated itself to keeping America regressive.

Honestly, I cannot tell you how much I detest that man.

He makes my skin crawl.

And now, he's lying about science teachers, as well as science.

What a worthless person to have on the national stage.

[Overseas]

36. Thank you Van Jones.

We need all Democrats to call out the lying Republicans very clearly like that.

[freshwest]

43. Van Jones tells it again! Thanks!

[The Wizard]

48. Huckster of a religious order

that has been debunked over and over. Any wonder why he's a Pox star?

[AllyCat]

53. And another way to see it: What is wrong with someone educating kids

making $100K a year? When the banksters rake in a gazillion dollars a week, what sweat is it for them if teachers make that much? Teachers deserve to be compensated for what they do.

Of course, they barely make $50K and most are losing jobs, pay, and benefits thanks to many forces including the miserable media.

[dembotoz]

55. republicans fool folks with the total cost of an employee vs salary

employees are expensive
benefits are expensive
withholding is expensive
social security deduction is expensive

people say they make 40 k a year
the cost to their employer is way more
but they see the 40 k

the republicans thow out total costs--with some exageration and folks think a teacher is bringing home 100 k in their pay envelope

apples to organges--but they do it time after time and we let them get away with it.

[CrispyQ]

56. Outstanding!!

[Zoigal]

57. Started at $150 a month (no benefits) in 1947

Ended up retiring at a bit over $32,000 plus benefits with a master's plus 45. Forty years....the last twenty in Oregon. Always excellent performance ratings.
Thank goodness times have changed a bit.
As much as i support public schools, would never recommend anyone going into teaching under the present conditions......z

[wordpix]

58. go, Van! You are right and so sorry you didn't make it to the O admin

[Uncle Joe]

62. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Judi Lynn.

[gkdmaths]

64. Slam away, and I'll chime right in.

I teach college science and bring home just over $40,000 annually. I work 70 hours a week during the academic year (get paid for 40 because OT and comptime are not approved (though we feel the need to get the job done anyway)) and spend the other three months fixing all the stuff students broke during the year. Graduation is this Friday and I'm going to miss it because I have to inventory equipment, consumables and chems, package and register chemical and biological waste shipments, move all the equipment on an entire floor of lab building getting ready for a remodel and finalize the year's operating and capitol budgets.

The work not only never ends, it just keeps getting deeper, and I make the same amount of money seven years after I was hired and no Cost of Living Allowance because of Washington State's freeze. I'm not bitter so much, but holy god, have some respect!

I do, however, really love this job. Couldn't be more fulfilled.

[jade3000]

65. Yes!

Thank you, Mr. Jones.