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Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Teacher Pay
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, this has come up on several blog posts, so let’s talk about it. Are Georgia teachers overpaid? appropriately paid? underpaid?
In the “they’re overpaid” camp, we have those who think teachers get lots of time off and get home before the dinnner hour. And their pay isn’t that low to boot.
In the “we’re underpaid” camp, teachers say the “summers off” thing is a myth, and they note that they are expected to work miracles in the classroom, especially when parents are not involved. Shouldn’t a miracle worker get a decent salary? And with the rising cost of healthcare, teachers are losing ground, not gaining. How is that fair?
The Georgia Association of Educators will seek a 6 percent raise or a 5 percent raise plus help with rising healthcare costs. According to the NEA, Georgia’s teachers make $46,526 on average, tops in the Southeast and 18th in the nation. Georgia still lags the national average of $47,808.
So, people, do Georgia teachers deserve a raise? If so, how much?
