Fla teacher salary, second lowest in country, $49,000
 

New York highest teacher salary average $90,000+....

Earlier thread, I mentioned that our values are "out of whack", how can our state, not be ashamed, paying a profession that is so important to our future such a pathetic amount to our teachers.

Please, for those asking me to leave if I don't like it, I suggest we fix this problem by cutting our legislators salaries until it's fixed.

Terrible students, administrators and parents. You have to be a social worker and prison guard. No freedom to actually teach. Everything is teachers fault. relentless abuse with no repercussions. No amount of money is worth it. So glad to be out of the dysfunctional system.

Everyone should be a substitute teacher for a day. You will end the day with a massive headache.

What a shame babubhat, I'm sure you were another great teacher that has left the profession, and add mass shootings at schools, no wonder our children are drawing the short straw.

I subbed for about a year and a half. You are correct. There are so many neglected kids that arrive at school not knowing how to use utensils, can't stay awake because they were up all night, wearing dirty clothes, and with zero self-governing skills, etc. It's an extraordinary challenge and very sad.

I guess it depends on where you teach...

My youngest daughter is a teacher and has not experienced any of those things...

My daughter-in-law just took a leave of absence from teaching first and second grades in a small town in Northern Idaho. She has a master's degree from UCI and is fluent in a foreign language. The pay was pretty low as she was just starting out but her biggest problems were the kids and their parents. She was teaching in the the "low school" (her term, not mine) that drew in part from the low income part of town. Even the first graders would curse at her and behaved awfully in many other ways. She received no parental backup as they came from alky-druggie parents. It was a nightmare for her.

This country has changed and it started many years ago. In the mid 1970s I was visiting in my home town. One of my classmate friends had an older brother who had been a math teacher at our junior high. We visited him. He and the shop teacher had started a construction business. They had each retired the day they could. I asked why. They told me the kids had changed. Well now the kids and the parents have changed...and how!

I still have business interests in Albuquerque, NM so closely follow the news there. Truancy in many of the schools exceeds 40%. A little over 60% graduate. That, to me, is a disaster!

This didn't happen over night. Take out prayer, pledge of allegiance, cut back on discipline, lower the standards, lower accountability, have battles over useless matters that used to be common sense. When the parents don't care about the kid, the kid will be out of control, therefore future societal problem.

Teacher Salaries
 

Where did you get this information, 49k is not a surprising figure for Florida in my opinion, but 2nd in USA?

"How Much Teachers Make in Florida

Preschool teacher: $29,890
Kindergarten teacher: $59,040
Elementary school teacher: $61,510
Middle school teacher: $60,280
High school teacher: $64,120"

"How Much Teachers Make in New York

Preschool teacher: $43,880
Kindergarten teacher: $84,530
Elementary school teacher: $87,700
Middle school teacher: $94,690
High school teacher: $92,660"

From: How Much Teachers Make in Every State 2021 | GOBankingRates

How did you compute the $49,000 salary?

You can’t compare salaries unless you also compare the cost of living in New York and Florida.

A salary of $25,000 in Orlando, Florida should increase to $46,552 in New York, New York. That is 1.86 higher.

If you multiply $49,000 times 1.86 you get $91,140.

Adjusted for cost of living, it appears that Florida pays more than New York.

So, the salaries are higher in the states that Villagers left?

No state tax in Florida either so comparing NYC to Florida is disingenuous.
Housing is much cheaper also in Florida. So Apple to Oranges. No pun.

Apples, Oranges and Bananas
 

The cost of living matters because the taxpayers and tax payments matter. If the average salary in a farming community is 38,000, then the teacher’s salary may fall into that paradigm. In addition, some areas have different seniority (steps) that make pay different. Areas pay differently by computing education levels (bachelors, masters, doctoral). You can’t just right a blank check generalization of New York City teachers get paid this, while rural Floridian teachers get paid that.

Teaching is an art. It requires: flexibility, nurturing, multitasking management skills and knowledge. With this in mind you have to add the layer of preparation of daily events and the thick skin of tolerance.

:bigbow:

I’m not sure where you are getting your statistics from, but Florida entry level teachers salaries are more than 35 other states. See link below

Teacher Salary Benchmarks | NEA

From your article, here are the nation-wide figures, which are much more in line with Florida’s, though Florida’s are still very low. “The average pay for a preschool teacher in the United States is $36,460. For a kindergarten teacher, the salary is higher at $64,490 a year, with a high school teacher earning an average of $69,530. Pay for elementary and middle school teachers falls somewhere between those two at $67,080 and $66,880, respectively.”

I’d like to make a couple points. First, a large proportion of the New York teachers work in the New York City area, where the cost of living is much higher than in Florida. The average cost to rent a one bedroom apartment there is about $3,500 a month. That’s $42,000 a year. It’s not easy to find even an apartment to buy for under $1 million, and then taxes on that house are very high.

Second, I don’t know about New York and Florida, but in Pennsylvania, where I spent half my life, teacher salaries are set by the school board in each school district and based on income from school taxes. Districts with lots of new, expensive homes have a lot more money to give to the teachers. In Pennsylvania, one district might pay top teachers $70,000 a year while the district next door might have a top pay of $45,000 a year. New York has a lot areas where there are expensive homes and flush school districts.

Third, average incomes can be deceptive. I’d like to know starting salaries and top salaries as well. Some states have higher starting salaries and lower top salaries, and that is very helpful for new teachers. In Pennsylvania and New York, in addition to whatever raises teachers get due to inflation, salaries start low, but there is a fixed percentage rise as well. Eventually, with enough years of service, the salary is pretty good in many districts. Teachers who have taken post-certification classes or have earned graduate degrees get more. In any state, if there are relatively few teachers near the top of the pay scale because of retirements and lots of teachers starting their career, the numbers will shift. Some states provide incentives for teachers to retire early because beginning teachers are so much cheaper.

(In state universities, full professors earn 20% more at their top salary than do associate professors at their top salary with the same number of years at that school, but very few teachers are able to jump through all the hoops and become full professors. Where I taught, only about 10% eventually were promoted to full professor. The top salary for associate professors with a Ph.D. and 30 years of experience is about the same as the salary of high school teachers with only a bachelor’s degree and the same experience. The top salary of associate professors is 20% higher than the top salary of assistant professors, who also have Ph.D.s. The top salary of assistant professors is in turn 20% higher than the top salary of instructors, who don’t have Ph.D.s. Any of these ranks hit their top salary in about ten years, but unless they are promoted—which is difficult—they are stuck, unlike grade school and high school teachers. Thus, an assistant professor with 20 years’ experience may make much less than a high school teacher with the same years of service.)

As for problems in schools, I say BLAME PARENTS, NOT TEACHERS. Yes, in every class of education graduates, some will be top students and some will barely make it through. Some will have the hearts of teachers and some will not. But every one of those teachers will do a better job if given respectful students who want to learn. It’s up to parents to provide those students. If they don’t, how can they expect their students to succeed? The sad fact is, Garbage In, Garbage Out. The exceptions happen often, but they are almost like miracles. Teachers keep trying, generally, but the life of a teacher can be disheartening.

Cops are getting paid less than that and I bet you need them more.

According to the school board candidates, the starting salary in Sumter is $51,000.

The starting salary is even lower. Teachers are also having to purchase supplies throughout the year with their own money. Now they are being told what they can teach, say and read. My friend a teacher, has to purchase her own desk chair and portable AC unit. Imagine going to work and having to endure shooter drills and being responsible for a room full of kids. Why the heck would anybody want to be a teacher?

It would be great if the NEA was as concerned about Teacher performance and student outcomes as they are about extreme political viewpoints and salaries. Most in the teaching profession would be completely surprised. I would gladly pay additional taxes for a school system that taught the 3 r’s instead of CRT, LGBTQxyz, and other lifestyle choices.

Would also be refreshing to hear the NEA actually admit 2 parent families matter, drug addicts need to be dealt with in much different ways and parents that can’t raise one child should be spayed or neutered like we do to animals that don’t have the ability to make conscientious decisions.

Seems things went to hell when some said any part of having God mentioned, or expecting higher morals was wrong. Maybe we should start expecting more from all members of our society and the majority of problems would disappear and salaries would increase.

I'm not sure you get it. You are in the "south" every state has different economics. You pick on the teacher salaries. it's everything so get off your soapbox. and yes if you don't like it.... you know that one.

Here's the deal I don't care what you do the standard salary in a lot of these southern states is lower than the northern states especially if you are going to use NY, Chicago, etc. which by far isn't a fair comparison at all . In addition, this is a tourist state which also changes the economics.

People have the freedom to do whatever job they want to do, and get paid accordingly to the economics of the job within the area it is in. Personally I can tell you that if I left my job for a local one I would take a 45% hit in pay. and that would be going into an executive job.

It's real easy to peel one off the top and whine about it, but your approach takes nothing into account that should be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluecenturian (Post 2131367) Cops are getting paid less than that and I bet you need them more.

You are right! According to this, the average State Trooper salary in Florida is $41,007.

Just a moment...

However, the average police salary in Florida is $60,720.

Here’s How Much Money Police Officers Earn In Every State

Please note that teachers get summers off and lots of vacation during the year. The average teacher works 185 days a year while the average full time non-teacher works 245 days a year.

Florida averages 180 instructional days per year. There are variances based on school district but they’re generally small. Teachers work an extra of five days beyond the instructional calendar. The extra days are generally teacher workdays, time for continuing education, etc. So, how does that compare? The average fulltime employed person works 245 days, or 60 more than the average teacher, annually. It doesn’t quite work out to nine months, or 25% less work than the average non-teacher, but it’s close at 23% less time spent working. This does amount to an extra twelve weeks of work for the average Floridian compared to the average teacher further illustrating the disconnect.

Q&A of the Day – How many days per year do Florida’s teachers work? | 1290 WJNO.

Much of Sumter County is located within The Villages, isn't it? We are taxed for schools. Check your tax bill. Compare to Marion and Lake counties. Tell me what you find.
Local revenue for school support is derived almost entirely from property taxes levied by Florida's 67 counties, each of which constitutes a school district. Each school board must levy the millage set for its required local effort from property taxes.

Salary for teachers?
 

I worked for a number of years both in NYC schools as well as the suburbs. Your statement needs correction. The Salary you quote for teachers in NYS varies Greatly throughout the state. NYC with some of the toughest districts pays some of the lowest salaries…$63k average, a far cry from your quote.…The other extreme are the Very Wealthy Suburbs of Bronxville, Bedford, Armonk who signed Rich contracts pushing up that average. Does that mean that charging $25,000 in school property taxes to pay High Teacher Salaries is the model we should advocate? Teachers deserve to be properly compensated, but we also need to look at results achieved, and NYS according to US News & World Report is paying some of the Highest and doesn’t come close to achieving the results…..;2131228]New York highest teacher salary average $90,000+....

Earlier thread, I mentioned that our values are "out of whack", how can our state, not be ashamed, paying a profession that is so important to our future such a pathetic amount to our teachers.

Please, for those asking me to leave if I don't like it, I suggest we fix this problem by cutting our legislators salaries until it's fixed.[/QUOTE]

Truely disgusting
 

Yes. We, can spend money on 87,000 new IRS agents, and nothing on school safety or actually improving education like school choice. Truly disgusting.

Teacher Pay
 

You are leaving out the fact that teachers only work 180 days, or could be 210 days maximum.

Cost of Living Higher In NY
 

The cost of living in New York us higher than Florida, although the Miami area is inching closer to NY. The property taxes are less and there is no State income tax. I think one really needs to compare apples to apples in this regard.

Instead of “averages,” better to use the actual schedule:

https://assets.sumter.k12.fl.us/huma...y-Schedule.pdf

Have you considered how much lower the cost of living is "down South?" Constantly raising teacher salaries leads to higher taxes which, wow, lead to increased teacher salaries. Comparing salaries between such extremes is apples to oranges. A more compelling argument for higher FL teacher salaries would be to compare them to comparable states (Texas, Tennessee, etc.) that have no income tax and lower taxes overall. They may still be lower, but a more accurate comparison could be made.

FL Education costs per student
 

Maybe the costs per student plus graduation percentages should be considered in your comparison.

While some of your ideas are good, don’t get carried away. The above statement reflects what communist countries do to their people. Please don’t go there taking freedom away from citizens and giving the government more control.

It's pathetic considering how high property taxes are here! To me that means all the money is going to high paying administrator jobs and other wasted projects instead of in the trenches.

Don't forget, a lot of the work teachers do is on their time away from school. Lesson plan prep, grading of papers/exams, etc...

So that 185 days is misleading...

Yes, but how much do lesson plans change from year to year? Unless you are rewriting history and racist math.

But in Fla you don’t have state taxes taken out. Cost of living is so much lower then NY. Plus teachers only work 9 months out of a year. Then teachers retirement is so much better then Social security.

If teachers were allowed to just teach and take all these forced political agendas out our children would be better off. When we went to school our teachers made their own plans and not feed daily government plans to teach ideology. Our education system is horrible. We need to get rid of Dept of education and take the focus back to local school system. Get back to Basics.

That salary is for teacher in the system at least over 15 years in Suffolk County NY. Not NYC it's about the same as Florida.
What you wrote is completely correct.

There may well be a real gap, but to just compare gross dollars is highly misleading. New York is one of the highest taxing states in the U.S., Florida one of the lowest. The cost of living in Florida is lower than most of New York. It's not just the dollars you get, it's what you get with those dollars.

Love Charter schools as well as home schooling.

Good points made that teachers don't work 12 months out of the year. Yes newer teachers may have some extra time after hours preparing, but after a few years they become efficient with less after hours needed. Why not compare dollars per hour to other occupations rather than annual salaries?