Teacher shortage: Oklahoma schools begin academic year with more than 800 vacancies

[Pete]

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Teacher salary is based on a 9-month year.

If they work summer school or take another job during the months off, that puts them over $40K right out of college plus benefits and almost guaranteed job security.

Get your masters, head a department and stick around (notice I didn't say anything about performance because it's pretty irrelevant) and you ratchet up pretty quickly. And, you get a pension.

That's not a bad living. You can make more doing other things but you can also do a lot worse.


Why is it when this subject comes up all anybody does is talk about the negative aspects of teaching? It only furthers my point.

[soonerguru]

^

Teacher salary is based on a 9-month year.

If they work summer school or take another job during the months off, that puts them over $40K right out of college plus benefits and almost guaranteed job security.

Get your masters, head a department and stick around (notice I didn't say anything about performance because it's pretty irrelevant) and you ratchet up pretty quickly. And, you get a pension.

That's not a bad living. You can make more doing other things but you can also do a lot worse.


Why is it when this subject comes up all anybody does is talk about the negative aspects of teaching? It only furthers my point.

Because the pay sucks. My family member has a masters degree, works 10 months, and receives UNDER $40k a year. She is fully bilingual and a certified teacher. She has taught in OKC, Edmond, and Norman and her pay has never been $40k. That must include some of the benefits, but teachers making more than $35k are uncommon.

The pay sucks, Pete. Facts are facts. Quik Trip starts its cashiers at $40k. There are people staring at pipes in Western Oklahoma making $100k. Paying teachers is not a priority in this nation -- but it's even worse in Oklahoma.

I just really don't understand why you think this should not be pointed out.

Do you think Millennials don't research what professions pay? They do, and they decide what to pursue based on pay. And who could blame them: our Legislature is defunding higher education so they have to pay a greater percentage of their tuition than you and I did when we attended OU. So, they have to take out student loans to pay for a degree (which at OU used to take 5 years to complete; not sure now) that is going to pay them crappy wages? Again, do you think they won't find out the pay if people just shut up about the pay?

I have clients in Western Oklahoma who tell me they can't find teachers. Why? Their feeder college, SWOSU, isn't enrolling enough. There simply aren't enough pursuing this career.

You know a great deal about commercial real estate, but I think you're not seeing the big picture here.

I'm sorry, but this is a passionate subject for me. Not only because I have family and friends who are pursuing this field (and many of them abandoning it, unfortunately), but because I have a child in school. She goes to one of the best schools in the state, and while she has many good teachers, she has some mediocre ones, too. It would be refreshing if the best and brightest were drawn to the teaching profession, and rewarded, because what they are doing is every bit if not more important than the work of a cop, or a firefighter, or a campaign flunky for one of our genius politicians.

One must be truly dedicated to pursue teaching in Oklahoma right now. The pay is low with a governor and legislature that will never change that. There are ridiculous mandates from the state (deriving from the legislature and state ed department) to teach to tests. They aren't even provided adequate classroom resources to teach. Meanwhile, they are saddled with crippling student loan payments for the foreseeable future.

This is endangering the economic livelihood of this state. This is a serious problem. And it's a problem that is not being addressed.

[Pete]

BTW, I worked for six years in public schools along side teachers in Los Angeles Unified. I ran a nonprofit for at-risk teens and we actually helped to provide outreach and instruction in middle & high school classrooms. And these schools were infinitely more challenging than just about any place in Oklahoma.

So, I know a fair bit about which I speak.

[Swake]

^

Teacher salary is based on a 9-month year.

If they work summer school or take another job during the months off, that puts them over $40K right out of college plus benefits and almost guaranteed job security.

Get your masters, head a department and stick around (notice I didn't say anything about performance because it's pretty irrelevant) and you ratchet up pretty quickly. And, you get a pension.

That's not a bad living. You can make more doing other things but you can also do a lot worse.


Why is it when this subject comes up all anybody does is talk about the negative aspects of teaching? It only furthers my point.

Basic economics 101 says cost is driven by supply vs demand. We have a shortage of teachers vs the demand for teaching positions because we don't pay enough to increase the supply to meet the demand. That means we don't pay enough. It's not complicated.

Worse than that, because of this imbalance between pay and demand we will hire ANYONE that is qualified on paper to be a teacher. And have to keep them, no matter what, because we can't replace them.

[Pete]

Basic economics 101 says cost is driven by supply vs demand. We have a shortage of teachers vs the demand for teaching positions because we don't pay enough to increase the supply to meet the demand. That means we don't pay enough. It's not complicated.

Worse than that, because of this imbalance between pay and demand we will hire ANYONE that is qualified on paper to be a teacher. And have to keep them, no matter what, because we can't replace them.

Again, this is a nationwide problem, and not unique to Oklahoma.

Teachers in general are not paid enough -- not one is arguing that fact.


But the point remains: You can still make a good living as a teacher in Oklahoma or anywhere else.

[Swake]

Again, this is a nationwide problem, and not unique to Oklahoma.

Teachers in general are not paid enough -- not one is arguing that fact.

You kinda are arguing that fact. While it is a national problem, it's worse in Oklahoma because the pay is worse.

But the point remains: You can still make a good living as a teacher in Oklahoma or anywhere else.

Your version of a good living is obviously different than most people's, because not enough people are wanting to become teachers. You can find people to do any job, you just have to pay enough. We don't currently pay teachers enough to encourage debt laden college graduates to choose to teach.

[Pete]

You kinda are arguing that fact. While it is a national problem, it's worse in Oklahoma because the pay is worse.

There is no indication it's any worse in Oklahoma then lots of places that pay more.

Virtually every state is facing the same sort of shortages.

[soonerguru]

There is no indication it's any worse in Oklahoma then lots of places that pay more.

Virtually every state is facing the same sort of shortages.

Well you're overlooking the fact that many teachers get their education in Oklahoma and leave to Texas, where they are in fact paid more with only a moderately higher cost of living.

[Pete]

Well you're overlooking the fact that many teachers get their education in Oklahoma and leave to Texas, where they are in fact paid more with only a moderately higher cost of living.

On average, Texas pays $4K a year more than Oklahoma. And they have big shortages too.

Also, lots of people leave Oklahoma for jobs in Texas; has been happening for decades and in all fields, not just education.

[Laramie]

^

Teacher salary is based on a 9-month year.

If they work summer school or take another job during the months off, that puts them over $40K right out of college plus benefits and almost guaranteed job security.

Get your masters, head a department and stick around (notice I didn't say anything about performance because it's pretty irrelevant) and you ratchet up pretty quickly. And, you get a pension.

That's not a bad living. You can make more doing other things but you can also do a lot worse.


Why is it when this subject comes up all anybody does is talk about the negative aspects of teaching? It only furthers my point.

You're right Pete, there are good benefits in the public school teaching profession.

Oklahoma City Public School District I-89 contract allows full time teachers the option to have their pay distributed over a 9-month or 12-month period. It's probably the same with most districts in the OKC area. Department heads, sponsors and coaches receive a stipend distributed over the selected period. This allows teachers to take summer school classes to work toward an advanced degree. Teachers on the 12-month pay distribution can take on a summer job to make additional money during that interim period.

Teachers selected to teach summer school will receive an additional warrant if they are on the 12-month pay distribution. The money to finance summer school comes from the Directors (Elementary, Middle, High School) separate account for selected summer school sites. Teachers have great benefits in this profession.

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.