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Thursday, August 2, 2007
Teacher Pay: What Is There To Complain About?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After grappling with hundreds of teaching vacancies just weeks before the start of school last summer, Cobb County officials are having a much better time finding new recruits this year.
According to Diane Stepp’s article, the state’s second-largest school system currently has fewer than 100 teaching positions to fill — less than half as many as the 250 vacancies from last year.
As Diane pointed out, part of the reason for the improvement could be the $1,800 increase in salaries for starting teachers. New educators can now earn nearly $40,000 a year if they sign on with Cobb.
Sought-after speech pathologists and special education teachers netted another $1,000 or $3,000 in signing bonuses.
Interestingly, low pay is a favorite complaint of public school teachers, who seek substantial raises — typically asking for 6 percent or more from the Legislature — every year.
But when a 20-something fresh out of college with little experience in a classroom can pull down $40,000 for nine months of work, I really want to know: Financially speaking, what is there to complain about?
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