Q&A of the Day – About Governor DeSantis’s teacher pay plan – Part 1
Each day I’ll feature a listener question that’s been submitted by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Twitter: @brianmuddradio
Facebook: Brian Mudd https://www.facebook.com/brian.mudd1
Today’s entry...
Hi Brian, I'm a long-time listener, love the show and especially your knowledge and facts as it pertains to the issues at hand. As far as the Governor wanting to raise teacher pay, I am against it. Now I know people will attack this point of view because it just seems wrong to even think this. I have sent both my children through the public-school system. While they got an “education” technically, they were basically taught how to take a test and get a good grade on it...Not sure if you know, but the schools do not even teach cursive writing any longer.
Teachers KNOW what they are getting into when they apply for the job. They know the pay scale going in. I've been a firefighter for 24 years now. When I started, I took a pay cut, compared to the job I was coming from…but that was fine, I knew that going in. You do a job because you WANT to do it, NOT for what you feel you should be paid. I ended up having to work both jobs to make ends meet.
Compare JOB A with JOB B. No title of the jobs, just salary and job duties.. For instance, my job.
JOB A
Avg salary 38,102 per year
Will be exposed to life threatening hazards.
Must be able to work weekends and Holidays
48-hour work week
Health benefits and retirement benefits
JOB B
Starting salary 47,500 per year (if DeSantis get his way)
Must be good with children
All weekends off, 1 week off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Christmas, 1 week for spring break, No work the Months of June and July.
40+ hour work week
Health benefits and retirement benefits
JOB A could be any job you see fit, compared to teachers. I just used mine because it is what I’m familiar with. I think if you did a comparison like above people MIGHT get a different perspective, and not have a knee jerk reaction anytime someone has the audacity to say that teachers make a fair wage. Keep up the good work.
Bottom Line: It would be hard for anyone to more effectively articulate the bigger picture considerations in play. In my recent story breaking down Governor DeSantis’s proposed starting teacher's salary of $47,500, I highlighted these points.
- The starting salary would be 2nd highest nationally
- Florida’s 27th in K-12 education outcomes
- The average raise would be $9,864, or 26%
- The average Florida teacher salary already exceeds $50,000 per year
Here’s some additional context. The average income of Floridians is currently $33,642 annually according to Zip Recruiter. That means the average teacher already earns 33% more than the average taxpayer who pays their salary. Additionally, as you illustrated, the average Floridian also works considerably more than the average teacher. I’ll pick up on that point in the second part of this story.