State Supt. Flanagan: Michigan Teachers Should Make $100K
The average salary for a teacher within Chippewa Valley Schools in 2010-11 was $73,519, while L'Anse Creuse teachers earned around $74,696.
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The key to getting more qualified math and science teachers into Michigan schools is simple, according to state Superintendent Mike Flanagan: pay them more.
Flanagan, who heads up the Michigan Department of Education, said Monday at an assembly of scientists at Michigan State University that Michigan schools need more math and science teachers. The problem, he said, is that most scientists and mathematicians don't consider teaching in public schools to be a viable career option.
“We can do all we want with content standards, but the elephant in the room is that it won’t do much good if we don’t have enough math and science teachers in our schools,” Flanagan said while discussing science standards in K-12 schools, according to a release from the state.
“When you ratchet-up teacher salaries to $100,000-plus, market forces will direct more mid-career changers and you’ll attract more math and science college students into our educator prep programs,” he added. “We need to be moving all teachers to that salary level to continue getting the best and brightest people educating our students.
“It’s all about talent.”
Average teacher salaries, according to statistics released annually by the MDE, vary by tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the school district. No district's average salary in 2010-11 hit $100,000.
For example, the average salary for a teacher within Chippewa Valley Schools in 2010-11 was $73,519, while L'Anse Creuse teachers came in at $74,696 and New Haven teachers at $65,096.
Do you think Michigan teachers should have higher salaries? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
UPDATE: This story was corrected on Jan. 31 at 3:50 p.m. to delete a reference to the average salary for teachers in Birmingham Area Schools. The article should have said Birmingham teachers have an annual salary of $75,323.07 and are not the highest-paid in the state.
Joe Kohler
8:47 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Teachers ... want bigger pay checks ... give up your pensions that are killing our communities.
I read that last yr 19% of the ave school budget went to legacy costs of retired school emps. How do we educate our kids when they only get 81% of the budget?
petey
10:54 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Only if he's paying!My school taxes are high enough.$100,000 for 9mo. work,I think NOT!!!
whatthefrack
9:53 am on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Don't forget that they're also only paying 3% of their health care costs which are all top of the line plans.
Nicole
10:28 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Nope. In addition to a 3% deduction, teachers also pay 20% of health care premiums (roughly $250 a month depending on single/family). Oh....and 9 months? We work before and after school, on weekends and throughout the summer planning or taking classes we are required to take in order to maintain certificates. All at our expense.
Miffy
2:29 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Please pay Police Officers, Firefighters and EMT's 100,000 - then worry about other occupations.
David S. Fuhrman
2:36 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Don't worry I live in Manhattan NYC. You wil have every property owner hit with an $5k school tax same as New York State.
Sharon Sheldon Mooney
4:20 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
As a teacher, I know most of us pay 20% of our health care costs and 3% to the state and another percentage od our salary to retirement, depending on which plan we chose. Teachers across the state of Michigan have seen their salaries decrease over the past five to ten years with future decreases in planned in upcoming contracts. The only thing Michigan has done is to ensure that teachers are going to start leaving the profession for better paying jobs or worse yet, leave the state of Michigan for states that recognize that teachers drive how far children go to succeed and reach their highest potential. We've been asked to continually add to the duties we perform for less pay and as a result, are feeling extremely undervalued in the state. Unless things start to turn around for educators, we may have a very bleak educational future in Michigan. Add on the Right to Work status and all bets are off.
Kariann Hart
11:39 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
This saddens me because a good teacher is worth more than $100,000 a year. Check out the income of car executives or oil company officers. The Governor of Michigan has only made things worse for our teachers.
rory
2:50 pm on Saturday, February 9, 2013
Many professions have seen salaries decrease over the last 5 -10 years and pay 20% of their health care and pay a lot more for their retirement. I would love to pay 3% for a guaranteed pension.
Brian Hadfield
1:01 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
People really need to get off the "9-months of work" bandwagon. As people described above, teachers are working WELL beyond any 40-hour/week job. When "on vacation", teachers are working supplemental jobs, taking classes, or professional development courses--some by choice, some by necessity.
Remember, too, it takes most teachers 10 or 11 years before they're making the highest amount their district pays. Teachers' starting salaries are about $28-32K (people with a 2-year associates degree may start with $50K or better); meanwhile, other 4-year counterparts are making $50, $70, $80+ "out of the gate.” Many districts never even pay that much after a decade of service.
Teachers are in it for the kids, yes, but they have families to support, college loans, mortgages, and an incredibly demanding job that lasts well beyond the last bell of the day or Friday that week. Teachers are required to continue their education at their our own expense, and most have Masters degrees or better. –Yet pay for most does not reflect any of this, nor the responsibilities or ongoing professional training and degrees required of this career.
Remember the old adage: You get what you pay for. Nobody will stay in the educational profession if salaries aren't maintained or bettered, or if the profession, and the professional, is not respected and valued.