Muskegon Heights starting teachers would earn $21,000 under latest plan

[Bozita]

Muskegon Heights starting teachers would earn $21,000 under latest plan
Published: Thursday, February 23, 2012, 9:10 AM Updated: Thursday, February 23, 2012, 1:39 PM
By Lynn Moore | [e-mail]


MUSKEGON HEIGHTS -- Starting salaries for teachers in Muskegon Heights would drop to $21,000 under a plan to get the district out from under its massive debt.

The state is requiring the district to eliminate its debt, estimated at $9.4 million, in three years. To do so, the district has proposed a 35 percent cut in pay and benefits effective next month, and a 40 percent pay cut by the end of the three years, according to the most recent deficit elimination plan.

Teachers' starting salary currently is $35,096, and the most teachers there can earn is $67,916, according to a salary schedule posted on the district's website. They would have to have a Ph.D and 21 years of experience to earn that top salary, which would drop to $40,749 under the deficit elimination plan.

The $21,000 salary would equate to $10 per hour before taxes, based on a 52-week year and 40-hour work week. Though teachers don't work 52 weeks, they generally can choose to have their pay spread over a year.

The deficit elimination plan applies the salary and benefit cuts to all employees, not just teachers. However, the board has voted to privatize bus drivers, custodians and clerical workers.

more...
http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2012/02/starting_muskegon_heights_star.html

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The comments make a trip to the link above worthwhile.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Well below the poverty level for a family of 4

My first several years teaching my own children qualified for free and reduced meals at school.

And if you don't find this shameful - I don't know what to tell you.

[CAPHAVOC]

2. Give me a G!

An R..An E..An E..And a C..And an E! Whats that spell!

[Shadowflash]

3. Yeah.

People are going to go into debt up to their eyeballs to get a bachelors or masters degree for a $10 an hour job.

Good luck with that.

[astonamous]

4. My son made more than that at whole foods. n/t

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Why do you say the comments make this a link worth looking at?

Last edited Sun Feb 26, 2012, 07:42 PM - Edit history (1)

I've had enough teacher bashing. Don't need any more.

[Bozita]

10. The comments are far more sympathetic to teachers than one normally finds at MLive

Teacher bashing, especially their unions, is the norm at that site.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Cool

I only read the first few which were puke worthy. I'll go back and look at the others.

[Lifelong Protester]

6. One consequence, intended or not

of this plan, is that education will become a revolving door of people who will take a job for a year or two, until something better comes along. A teacher really gets good at his or her craft after about 5-7 years in the field (from my observation as a teacher and administrator). Nobody will be able to afford to stick it out that long. There will not be a teaching 'craft' or guild, or whatever you might like to call it.

I'd like to know where these geniuses who are all about vouchers and charters, and other drains on public education, think they are going to find teachers in the future. My fear is that NO ONE will go into the field.

And staffing for that "it" trend of the moment, charter schools. WHO will staff those? I bet a quick survey of schools of education will find that soon, if not now, the enrollment in their programs will be or is dropping.

Or is everyone suddenly going to homeschool? WAKE UP, FOLKS! (Sorry, this whole topic makes my blood boil.)

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. This is already the case.

60-70% of all teachers leave the profession within 5 years.

You make a great point. We need to do more to make teaching an attractive profession.

[sulphurdunn]

16. That is correct.

The end game is to make teaching a sort of for profit America Corp, where you get out of college, sign up, do your time. pay off some loans and move on.

[JDPriestly]

7. This should close down the universities and colleges really quickly.

Here is the fee schedule for Kansas State University. I assume that is where a lot of Kansas' teachers are educated.

http://www.k-state.edu/finsvcs/cashiers/fees/CurrentYr/TuitionFeesScheduleManhattanUGrad.pdf

The tuition and fees not counting living costs for 12 hours are about $8,000. I assume that is per semester.

That's 24 hours per year or about $16,000 per year times 4 totals $64,000 just for tuition to become a teacher.

A dorm room including meals costs about $3,500 per semester which is $7,000 per year and $28,000 for four years.

http://housing.k-state.edu/reshalls/ratesRH12_prepayment.php

So that totals a minimum of $92,000 not including transportation, clothing, etc.

That's a hefty bundle of student loans to pay back on $21,000 per year.

My question: is a college education and the related loans perhaps the best chastity belt for Kansas kids?

They won't be able to afford to have children until they are well into their 50s. Should solve the over-population problem.

[MichiganVote]

8. Tough district to teach in. They won't stick around for that.

[roguevalley]

9. when I started I made &17,500 but that was eons ago and I barely made it.

I would not teach again given the way things have become.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. $7200 here

Got a big raise up to $8000 for year two. I felt rich. LOL

[roguevalley]

14. we had cost of living here in Alaska. I found some w-2's of my sweet dad and he made

3K a year back in the late fifties early sixties working like a slave in the woods.

[salin]

15. starting salary nearly 30 years ago in my hometown was 13k

for a new teacher with no grad. degree. Does anyone think that 30 years of inflation equates to only 8k? Then factor in the much higher student loan debt of today compared to 30 years ago. So from where are you going to find these new teachers? Really dumb policy.

[sulphurdunn]

17. I made $4,000

a year more than that as a starting teacher 20 years ago, and that was considered a lousy wage then.