Majority of Texas teachers are considering quitting

[oldag]

Few teachers in Texas belong to a union so that's not the solution and they have little influence in Austin.

Teachers are quitting because the kids are bad, parents don't want to discipline their kids, they don't want the district to discipline their kids, and teachers can't discipline their kids.

In grades that have State testing, the entire curriculum is built around passing that test and nothing more. That test is the only thing that matters to a district.

Plus they get paid peanuts to deal with bad kids all day, so they burn out then quit and they do something else. My wife's school in a good district at a good school had a 60% teacher attrition rate.

My kids are still in public school because I'm not paying 30k per year to send them to private school.

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A lot of truth there.

 

[popper]

Discord between teachers and state legislators - nope. DISD starting pay 70k$, mostly for bilingual.
I know lots of working and retired and quit teachers. Kids behavior is the main problem. Plus admin has no clue. DISD had a guy, $ disappeared. He left with big payout. Then they hired him back.
Going to a wedding tomorrow, young gal was a teacher (5 yrs) but quit and went into oil co business. Couldn't control kids in class and admin looked the other way. I saw the same thing working with school security in the 80s.

 

[studenygreg]

I think k a lot of people who go into the education field do it for the easy degree, loan reduction, summers off, and the supposed easy paycheck. They probably didn't realize the pay was so low, and all the bs that goes along with it. I don't blame them. If you cam get a better job, do it.

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[Greenzilla80]

News flash: teachers have been leaving for a few years now. Asshole kids and unsupportive parents combined with the state having thier heads where the sun don't shine.

 

[Sasquatch]

50K a year for starting wage is damn good no matter what the industry. Its not like you don't know what you're getting into when you enter an industry. Doesn't matter if its police, fire, teachers, oil field, construction - you won't get hired without being told the job description and at least a cursory idea of working conditions. You don't get to become a teacher without first being a student teacher while working toward getting your degree and teaching license. They know exactly what they're going into, and exactly how much they'll get, and exactly how much time it requires. Teachers are by and large some of the most entitlted people I've ever met. Not all are, but most are. They all pull out the "we do it for the children, not the paycheck" line - until they want a payraise. I've seen teacher strikes and threats to strike and close schools until their demands for better pay and benefits are met. "For the children" my ass.

Its the same with cops (and those that fawn over them) saying they don't get paid near enough. I spent over a decade chasing that dream - the last fucking test I took for a police job was for a small town department (thousand residents in the city) with one opening, that had a starting wage of about $25K / year. 600 people showed up that weekend hoping to get that job. You know going in the pay is shit, unless you happen to get a job with a well funded agency - but at the same time I knew people who went to work for the best paying agency in the state (50K / year to start base + OT and a great bene package) that complained the pay was low. If you weren't taking 80K home with mandatory OT (extra shifts + court) you weren't even trying.

A friend of mine for a small town PD (like, 6K residents, handful sworn officers) made 15K more than the chief did one year, because of court and OT, and the Chief was making 85K in a salaried position.

If you're not cut out for the job, or you're only in it for the pay, GTFO and let someone who is actually passionate about the job step up. Teacher, fire, cop, garbage man, whatever. Civil servants should NOT be making way above the average salary for the area they live in. If you take a government job to get rich, you're part of the problem, not the solution.

 

[deemus]

TSTA is a union with very little power in Texas. Teachers union
here really can't do much more than complain. My wife has 30 kids in her classroom this year. It ranges from GT students to a kid that knows three English words to special Ed kids all in the same room.

How is one person supposed to teach them all the same? It's a joke.

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My girlfriend (3rd grade ESL teacher) had 25 ESL kids last year. She is fluent, but had 3 kids who knew no english last year. So she taught in english, then in spanish.

They had a huge increase this year for that grade, so the teachers will teach 1 or 2 things, and the kids will rotate through all the teachers. All have appx 20 in their class. She has all the ESL kids again.

They do deserve more. She is in her classroom at 7am. Kids start coming in around 7:20. She leaves around 3:30-4 each day. Then goes home and grades papers till 7. Every day.

 

[deemus]

50K a year for starting wage is damn good no matter what the industry.

Maybe for some districts, but not for most. My friend is making around $50k after 15 years on the job.

I'm not sure $50K for 60 hours a week is a good deal. Especially when a college degree is required.

 

[seeker_two]

Few teachers in Texas belong to a union so that's not the solution and they have little influence in Austin.

Teachers are quitting because the kids are bad, parents don't want to discipline their kids, they don't want the district to discipline their kids, and teachers can't discipline their kids.

In grades that have State testing, the entire curriculum is built around passing that test and nothing more. That test is the only thing that matters to a district.

Plus they get paid peanuts to deal with bad kids all day, so they burn out then quit and they do something else. My wife's school in a good district at a good school had a 60% teacher attrition rate.

My kids are still in public school because I'm not paying 30k per year to send them to private school.

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QFT. And it's not the teachers that are mandating the liberal curriculum....that comes from the Administration and from TEA. Funny how Texas Republicans seem to push for more local and parental control in schools....but TEA has become more powerful and dominant over local schools during their tenure. Maybe the problems are trickling from the top down....

I'm all for vouchers and competition....as long as public schools get to play by the same rules as private schools.

 

[deemus]

public education needs to be dissolved. They wanted to make every kid "normal" sorry not ever kid is. They need to be separated. Smart kids get smart classes. Dumb kids get put into dumb classes, and normal kids with the GP. If you don't speak english you get put in a class specifically for ELLs


But no. We gotta put EVERYONE in the same class and then wonder why our kids come out as dipshits.

Teachers are super liberal but dont understand their policies caused this shit.

Many schools have ESL classes now. Most have one class for each grade.

 

[andre3k]

50K a year for starting wage is damn good no matter what the industry. Its not like you don't know what you're getting into when you enter an industry. Doesn't matter if its police, fire, teachers, oil field, construction - you won't get hired without being told the job description and at least a cursory idea of working conditions. You don't get to become a teacher without first being a student teacher while working toward getting your degree and teaching license. They know exactly what they're going into, and exactly how much they'll get, and exactly how much time it requires.

50k IMO is ok for a starting salary for a degreed position (i guess). But after 20 years how much is a teacher making? 65k if they're lucky. Meanwhile, all those other professions you listed have likely surpassed that in pay after 20 years.

Being a student teacher isn't like being a full time teacher. They're assisting a senior teacher and you have two teachers in a classroom which is a far cry from being in the class by yourself.

I've seen teacher strikes and threats to strike and close schools until their demands for better pay and benefits are met. "For the children" my ass.

I can't remember teachers ever striking in Texas and closing schools. I don't even know if that's possible because Texas teachers aren't unionized.

Its the same with cops (and those that fawn over them) saying they don't get paid near enough. I spent over a decade chasing that dream - the last fucking test I took for a police job was for a small town department (thousand residents in the city) with one opening, that had a starting wage of about $25K / year. 600 people showed up that weekend hoping to get that job. You know going in the pay is shit, unless you happen to get a job with a well funded agency - but at the same time I knew people who went to work for the best paying agency in the state (50K / year to start base + OT and a great bene package) that complained the pay was low. If you weren't taking 80K home with mandatory OT (extra shifts + court) you weren't even trying.

A friend of mine for a small town PD (like, 6K residents, handful sworn officers) made 15K more than the chief did one year, because of court and OT, and the Chief was making 85K in a salaried position.

If you're not cut out for the job, or you're only in it for the pay, GTFO and let someone who is actually passionate about the job step up. Teacher, fire, cop, garbage man, whatever. Civil servants should NOT be making way above the average salary for the area they live in. If you take a government job to get rich, you're part of the problem, not the solution.

I'm not sure where to start with this one. This must have been a long time ago, but I can't imagine chasing an LE career only to find employment with a small agency making 25k per year. Not when you could have applied to dozens of other agencies that paid more.

As far as the pay is concerned. Policing wasn't a calling for me. It was a job and it never defined who I am. The ONLY thing keeping me in LE is the pay and my retirement. That doesn't preclude me from being a great officer or from treating people fairly. There are very few professions I could enter at this point making the money I make with the retirement and benefits as well, so I stay where I'm at.

I chased the money that was available in my department simply because I knew that I wasn't happy making xxx amount per year. So I always gravitated to units that had consistent overtime and I worked that overtime. When people wanted to go on vacation and take holidays off, I worked and was paid for it. I don't make as much as my chief but I'm not far from it. That don't make me a bad cop, just a hard worker. I have worked seven days a week for years and I expect to get paid for it.


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[Sasquatch]

50k IMO is ok for a starting salary for a degreed position (i guess). But after 20 years how much is a teacher making? 65k if they're lucky. Meanwhile, all those other professions you listed have likely surpassed that in pay after 20 years.

Being a student teacher isn't like being a full time teacher. They're assisting a senior teacher and you have two teachers in a classroom which is a far cry from being in the class by yourself.



I can't remember teachers ever striking in Texas and closing schools. I don't even know if that's possible because Texas teachers aren't unionized.



I'm not sure where to start with this one. This must have been a long time ago, but I can't imagine chasing an LE career only to find employment with a small agency making 25k per year. Not when you could have applied to dozens of other agencies that paid more.

As far as the pay is concerned. Policing wasn't a calling for me. It was a job and it never defined who I am. The ONLY thing keeping me in LE is the pay and my retirement. That doesn't preclude me from being a great officer or from treating people fairly. There are very few professions I could enter at this point making the money I make with the retirement and benefits as well, so I stay where I'm at.

I chased the money that was available in my department simply because I knew that I wasn't happy making xxx amount per year. So I always gravitated to units that had consistent overtime and I worked that overtime. When people wanted to go on vacation and take holidays off, I worked and was paid for it. I don't make as much as my chief but I'm not far from it. That don't make me a bad cop, just a hard worker. I have worked seven days a week for years and I expect to get paid for it.


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1. The 50K / year starting is what I'm seeing around our region for teacher salaries for entry level. Should they be making 100k / year after 20, just because they were there that long? 65k is 33% more than starting pay. What is an acceptable increase for the same position?


2. The teacher strike thing was not in Texas. In Oregon the teacher's union is outlandishly powerful. All schools are *state* agencies - not ISD's. Every teacher works for the state, unless they're at a private school. The school districts are just subsets of the state's dept of education. They have shut down schools and threatened walkouts over pay negotiations, even in already well paid districts.

Same with the LE agencies I'd applied to - they were all in either Oregon or Washington state. Hundreds of applicants at every testing - I think the smallest number I ever encountered was 100 people showing up on one day to take the written / physical test (2nd step after applying) - pay ranges varied from 25k on the lower end, averaging about 35-40K in the middle, with Portland Police at the time being the highest paid agency, starting at 50K / year. I haven't encountered an agency yet that paid salary for rank & file positions (which honestly I'm not sure why they don't, aside from union strength because they'd save a shitload in OT pay)

That particular career field is very competititive. I didn't finish college, so no degree. On an even playing field, the guy with college or honorable discharge from the military is going to get picked first. I still applied because for a long time its what I thought I really wanted to do with my life. I looked at those low paying, small towns like I think most guys did - it gets you IN, and then you can lateral to other, larger, better paying agencies later. Many did. I also knew guys who left Portland and the 80 or 90K a year they were making to go make less at an agency where they didn't have to take so much bullshit, but wanted to keep the job. Retirement for LE in the whole state is the state run PERS (public employee retirement system) so your retirement went with you, so long as you stayed in the state, and retirement payments were based on your final two years pay.

In the PNW, its not like here in Texas, where aside from a handful of exceptions, you put yourself thru the academy and get certified before going to look for a job - in those states you can't self-sponsor thru an academy - you have to be hired and the agency sends you there (and you get paid during that time) then you get your 18 months of probation / FTO time.

The only agency I know of back in OR that cannot maintain staffing is Portland. Very few people want to apply there anymore, because of the politics and the fact the city WILL throw you under the bus if there's a scandal (white cop shoots black suspect, or you use force against ANTIFA types). Same agency cannot keep a chief more than about a year and a half on average before they either leave because of scandal, or they get fed up with the political nonsense and go elsewhere. Some have lasted 5-7 years, but they're rare. Wasn't long back, one lasted 6 months before he was ousted for lying about shooting his buddy in hunting camp while drunk. Yeah, cream rises there...

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Good credible Teachers should be making $100K after 8-10 years sooner in some cases.

 

[platoon2063]

Teachers are quitting because the kids are bad, parents don't want to discipline their kids, they don't want the district to discipline their kids, and teachers can't discipline their kids.

In grades that have State testing, the entire curriculum is built around passing that test and nothing more. That test is the only thing that matters to a district.





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↑This↑

I work in a school district as a contractor. I speak with teachers, coaches, etc. every day.

 

[baboon]

Good. Public education should be abolished.

Love to see that tax money in my pocket.

 

[retrieverman]

My wife has been a high school English teacher for 26 years, and she would love to quit but is hanging on for the meager retirement she’ll be eligible for in 3 more years.
Big city districts may have decent pay for their teachers, but country districts don’t pay well unless you’re a coach. After 26 years, my wife is making $46k.

 

[SrsTwist]

Maybe for some districts, but not for most. My friend is making around $50k after 15 years on the job.

I'm not sure $50K for 60 hours a week is a good deal. Especially when a college degree is required.

And it's even worse when you live in an expensive city like Austin.

 

[mongoose]

Good credible Teachers should be making $100K after 8-10 years sooner in some cases.

Hell, most Ph.D.s don’t make that at a University level. ( unless you are a Native American at Harvard).

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Hell, most Ph.D.s don’t make that at a University level. ( unless you are a Native American at Harvard).

$100k is very common in the work force these days and Teachers put up with a ton of bullshit. They deserve it.

 

[GasGuzzler]

There are several major issues.

The way public schools are funded is amazingly stupid. Your district cannot change and do it correctly because they all have to play the game to survive.

Public school mindset has always been a liberal one but now that the scales have tipped to an amazing level of over-correction, public schools and the generally 100% leftists that run them, have taken full opportunity to deprogram morality.

My beliefs on public funding is pretty out there to some people but State-run schools are no different than police, ambulance, roads and highways, parks and rec, etc. The fact we've made it legal for whomever to steal from us to run the those programs however they want is a big deal.

Free market competition is needed for all of this. Eliminate taxes and competition then proves success. You get to pick what police force, ambulance, and school your family uses. All of the bloodsuckers that exist to attempt to prove they are they themselves a requirement to humanity can go sell headstones door to door.

Teachers deserve the best wage they can find ... just like everyone else in the world. If they choose an industry with low pay, who's fault is that? The good ones very well may deserve $100K but that would be very rare. The bad ones don't deserve a single dime. I have met both kinds.

Teachers do put up with a lot but keep in mind they do not, in general, put in near the hours annually that the average work-forcer does.

 

[oldag]

Love to see that tax money in my pocket.

This assumes that the majority of parents can be good teachers and home school. Bad assumption. Very bad assumption.