Muda69 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 https://www.jconline.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/05/07/indiana-low-teacher-wages-reason-north-montgomery-coach-quitting/1131644001/ Quote Andrew Evertts’ phone would not stop buzzing Tuesday. In the hours since the North Montgomery boys basketball coach — now former coach — published a statement on his Twitter account Monday night outlining his decision to get out of teaching and coaching, Evertts has been floored by the response. “Oh my goodness,” Evertts said Tuesday afternoon. “My phone has gone off literally every five minutes. I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve heard from so many people.” Evertts, 30, never expected to be in this position. The Angola native and Indiana University graduate got his start as a teacher and boys basketball coach at Medora in 2013 with big dreams. After two years at tiny Medora, he coached at Mississinewa for four seasons and led the Indians to back-to-back 16-win seasons in his final two years before taking the North Montgomery job last spring. “I had big plans to do great things,” Evertts said. North Montgomery’s record was an uninspiring 5-18. But Evertts’ decision to step away — and the response to his decision — had little to do with the Chargers’ on-court result or the school system. Evertts, wife, Susan, is an art teacher who loves North Montgomery and has every intention to remain there. But with a young family — the couple has a 9-month-old son, Jackson — the numbers just did not add up. He posted, in part: “Although I have enjoyed coaching basketball more than I can put on paper, the unfortunate fact is that it does not pay the bills. My education salary is what supports my family, and at this point it just not adequate for our needs. Again, I can’t stress enough that this is not a North Montgomery problem. This is an issue with the state of Indiana. I know there has been a lot of discussion lately about unfair teacher wages. There has been much focus on low pay raises and low average teacher salary (somewhere around $50,000 for the state). The issue has become unbearable for most new teachers. In my 7 years in education the pay scales seem to get worse every year. It is nearly impossible for any newer teacher to think of making anywhere near $50,000, unless they become an administrator (which I could never do, it takes a special kind of person for that job) or teach for a very long time and coach multiple sports. I put my heart and soul into this profession for the last 7 years, but my compensation does not reflect that. I still have a few more years before I would even eclipse the $40,000 mark. I am not trying to stir any controversy by sharing this, I am just trying to give one final ounce of support for my education colleagues, as well as fully explain my situation.” Evertts went on to write that he fully understood what he was getting into when he started as a teacher. But the past few years, on top of his 70-plus hour work weeks during basketball season, his passion for teaching and coaching had fizzled. ..... So what should the base salary and salary ceiling be for an government school teacher in the state of Indiana? Without a true free market in education to provide needed competition and information to management it sound like pretty much "raise the salaries until the teachers stop bitching". https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/09/15/sure-if-youve-a-teacher-shortage-then-raising-teacher-pay-sounds-sensible/#670caba3075c Quote ... Salaries and Other Compensation Teachers’ salaries affect the supply of teachers, including the distribution of teachers across districts, and the quality and quantity of individuals preparing to be teachers. Salaries also appear to influence teacher attrition—teachers are more likely to quit when they work in districts with lower wages. Better pay is also what would bring them back to the classroom. Of public school teachers who left the profession in 2012 and said they would consider returning, 67% rated an increase in salary as extremely or very important to their decision to return. Despite the evidence that salaries influence teacher recruitment and retention, a teacher’s salary in much of the United States is too low to support a middle-class existence. A recent study from the Center for American Progress, for example, found that, in 30 states, mid-career teachers who head families of four or more are eligible for government subsidies, such as subsidized children’s health insurance or free or reduced-price school meals. That comparison to government support isn't relevant. Because as the report also points out it isn't that there's a general shortage of teachers. It's that there's a shortage in certain subjects. Math, special education and bilingual work being especially mentioned. What we therefore need is not a general rise in the salaries of all teachers. We need a rise in the salaries of certain specific types of teacher. It is specific skills that are being looked for therefore it is the payment for specific skills which needs to change. And that, of course, runs smack into the teachers' unions. Which is really where our problem is. We don't actually have a free market in teacher salaries. Which is why the adjustment hasn't happened yet. The correct way to do this is for each school to have a budget which is then spent as the management of the school see fit. If they think they require another math teacher then they get to offer whatever amount they need to to gain one of the requisite skill and experience. All of which means no union norms, no enforced equivalence. If there are 20 applicants for each gender studies teaching job and 0.5 for each math one then math teachers should be paid more than gender studies teachers. For markets really do work - and if we leave them alone then we won't have a shortage of teachers because the market will already have worked. https://files.texaspolicy.com/uploads/2018/08/16092838/Veritas-Issue2-ed-article.pdf Quote .... Local school officials grappling with how to make the most of their limited resources and trying to increase student learning could free up a considerable amount of resources by not continuing to adopt and use a salary schedule. This policy change would need a well-designed transition plan such as freezing all teacher salaries at the current level, not paying any new teachers on the salary schedule, and tying all future raises to positive performance reviews. The cost savings could be effectively targeted towards filling math and science shortages by paying shortage stipends, rewarding excellent teachers with raises or bonuses, and encouraging strong teachers to work in challenging schools. .... 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanteEstonia Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 1 hour ago, Muda69 said: https://www.jconline.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/05/07/indiana-low-teacher-wages-reason-north-montgomery-coach-quitting/1131644001/ So what should the base salary and salary ceiling be for an government school teacher in the state of Indiana? Without a true free market in education to provide needed competition and information to management it sound like pretty much "raise the salaries until the teachers stop bitching". https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/09/15/sure-if-youve-a-teacher-shortage-then-raising-teacher-pay-sounds-sensible/#670caba3075c https://files.texaspolicy.com/uploads/2018/08/16092838/Veritas-Issue2-ed-article.pdf You get what you pay for. CCSD is starting a pilot program to pay $15,000 bonuses for teaching at certain schools- https://newsroom.ccsd.net/new-program-pilots-innovative-teacher-recruitment-and-retention/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muda69 Posted May 8, 2019 Author Share Posted May 8, 2019 45 minutes ago, DanteEstonia said: CCSD is starting a pilot program to pay $15,000 bonuses for teaching at certain schools- https://newsroom.ccsd.net/new-program-pilots-innovative-teacher-recruitment-and-retention/ Interesting. What is the response from the local teacher's union to such a pilot program? And what do you, an educational professional, believe should be the base salary and salary ceiling for an government school teacher in the state of Indiana? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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