So once again we have teachers complaining about their pay. This time it’s teachers in JeffCo. I want to break this down for you to see why this makes me angry. First, they are being offered a 1% raise and they want a 7% raise. Many people, myself included as a state employee, did not get any raises last year. This year we are finally getting back on track with the normal 3% raise to account for cost of living. In my work career I have never had a job do more then a 3% raise and this includes working in education. Asking for a standard 3% I could agree with, but they are being greedy asking for 7%.
Next, lets look at what they actually make.
The above picture was taken directly from their website and shows the pay for licensed teachers. That is good pay. My mother worked for years in emergency dispatch and the medical fields and she is just now making that kind of money. People can work in different fields for many years and not make that kind of money. They want a fair living wage, but they already have that.
Don't take my word for it. Let's look at what income looks like for this area.
Looking at this picture it shows that even the lowest base pay is higher then the median income for this area.
The Census website had slightly higher numbers.
Even with the higher numbers they are still within a pay range that is normal for the area they live in. These teachers are only getting attention because they are loud and most people don't look at the numbers. Don't believe these teachers. Look at the numbers for yourself and not just them saying that they are getting low pay.
The teachers have a whole list of demands they want, some make sense
and some just makes you wonder why are these people even working in education.
The pay one is the main one I have an issue with. The other that makes me raise
an eye brow is the mental health support for students. I understand that mental
health is an issue, but at the same time schools are for education and are not
health institutions. There should be a divide between the two. I understand there are studies out there that say school intervention on mental health is a good thing, but where is the money coming from to pay for it. Either the government has to foot the bill and charge tax payers more, the city/county has to tax people more, or there are higher student fees which but more financial hardships on parents that can't afford it or have students that don't need it. These reasons is why it is best for schools to send students to professionals outside of the school system that can help. This is an
example of schools trying to take on too much themselves. They just need to
make community partnerships and have specific places where they can send
students for help. This is an example of schools getting distracted from what
they should be doing which is educating students.
Works Sited/Researched
You can check out the JeffCo Pay at: https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/employment/salaries
This is an interesting look at JeffCo vs. Arapahoe county. The only thing is that it looks at household income and not just one person: https://datausa.io/profile/geo/jefferson-county-co?compare=arapahoe-county-co
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/jefferson-county-co
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27453456/
Fox 31 news live report 6/4/21
Picture 1 From: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/jeffco-teachers-rally-for-fair-living-wage-outside-school-district-headquarters
Picture 2 From: https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/employment/salaries
Picture 3 From: https://www.google.com/search?q=jeffco+average+income&rlz=1C1GCEB_enUS943US943&sxsrf=ALeKk03yP4s1UNeUBvlBrYyup5zAlJ8Ylw:1622821101283&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiLlJrap_7wAhXJo54KHcDbBNgQ_AUoAHoECAcQAg&biw=1446&bih=674&dpr=1.25
Picture 4 From: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/jeffersoncountycolorado
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