Uncertainty and Worry: Teachers Could Face More Pay Cuts (ID)
May 10, 2010
Cliff Garbett isn’t accustomed to days off.
The physical education teacher at Vera C. O’Leary Middle School in Twin Falls supplements his income by coaching track, wrestling and football.
On weekends he works as an emergency room nurse assistant. It adds up to 80-hour, seven-day workweeks for Garbett, who’s in his fourth year of teaching and working extra to help support his wife and two children.
"I don’t have a day off to spend with my family," said Garbett. "It makes it tough to stay in the field."
At the same time, Garbett loves helping students develop a passion for sports and exercise, and knows his situation isn’t unique among Idaho’s teachers.
Idaho’s average public school teacher pay ranks 41st among U.S. states, according to the most recent National Education Association survey, based on the 2007-08 school year.
The bottom line: Gem State teachers already take home some of the lowest wages in the nation, and they’re more likely to see pay cuts than pay increases in the year ahead.
In response to declining state revenues, the Idaho Legislature cut the state’s base salary appropriation for teachers by 4 percent for fiscal year 2011, which begins in July.
Legislators also froze a system that awards teachers raises when they gain experience and education, which will leave school districts without state funding previously earmarked for raises.
Legi slators also declared a one-year financial emergency for the coming school year as part of the education budget, setting the stage for school districts to reopen teacher contracts to renegotiate their salaries and benefits. The state-set minimum salary for beginning teachers will decrease next year – from $30,915 to $29,655.
School districts can still choose to pay their teachers more than the state-mandated minimum for their education and experience levels. For example, districts in Twin Falls and Cassia County do so, though it’s unknown whether the practice will continue.
The state funding cuts mean that when school districts and teacher associations renegotiate contracts, they’ll discuss furlough days and where to cut instead of raises.
Wiley Dobbs, superintendent of Twin Falls School District, said cost-reducing options include reducing the district’s salary schedule to match the state’s minimum salary index, or keeping the salary schedule the same, but adding furlough days into contracts.
Dobbs stressed the need for everyone in the district to shoulder the burden – not just teachers.
"We’ve gone about this with a strong philosophy that we’re going to constrict and not cut," he said. "Everyone’s going to have some skin in this game. I’ve been real proud of the way teachers and administrators and staff members have stepped up. They know what’s going on in our community."
Better pay elsewhere
Idaho schools know what it’s like to compete for teachers. In neighboring Wyoming, the starting yearly salary for teachers in 2007 was $38,500 – nearly 25 percent more than in Idaho.
"We’ve lost a few – not just in this year, but in other years – to Wyoming," said Dale Layne, Jerome School District superintendent.
Layne said the Jerome district has been competitive in recruiting teachers from Idaho’s universities, and pays enough that educators who live in Twin Falls are willing to make the drive north.
While the pay is higher elsewhere, turnover in the district is low, Layne said.
"We’ve felt pretty good about that," he said.
Cassia County School District Superintendent Gaylen Smyer said higher salaries in neighboring states work to their advantage in teacher recruitment.
"When our principals go to teacher fairs or things like that, the long lines always seem to be associated with the Clark County, Nevadas, and the surrounding states that have a higher salary than ours," he said, adding that the district often attracts teachers with Magic Valley roots or an interest in a rural lifestyle.
As for the future, he said he doesn’t know what the outcome of the coming cuts will be.
"It’s too soon to tell exactly where we’re going to wind up but salaries are going to be a part of our consideration," he said.
While teacher satisfaction is likely to decrease along with their salaries, Wendell School District Superintendent Greg Lowe said with the slumping economy, he’s not expecting much turnover through the coming cuts.
"It seems to me that a lot of teachers are just definitely going to stay put," he said.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll stay here forever.< ;br />
Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association, said that while neighboring states also face budget challenges, they’d have to make significant cuts before their salaries drop to Idaho’s level.
"When this economy turns around, I don’t know where we’re going to get the teachers from," she said.
Frustrations mount
Renee Orth, a reading specialist at Popplewell Elementary School in Buhl, said more teachers are considering options like taking on additional summer jobs to augment their salaries.
Adding to the challenge, they’re expected to attain more college credits for their certification, an expense that comes on top of any pay reductions, she said.
"The overall mood I would describe as worried and frustrated – worried because most teachers in the state are underpaid to start with," said Orth, president of the Buhl Education Association.
Orth said there’s no animosity between teachers’ bargaining units and their respective school boards and administrators. Yet there’s frustration at the situation educators face.
When salaries fail to increase, it amounts to a pay cut when factoring in inflation, said Darin Gonzales, math teacher and president of the Kimberly Education Association.
"I know we have teachers that are looking out of state because it’s becoming so difficult to make a living as a teacher in Idaho," he said. "We have teachers whose kids are on Medicaid. That’s a fact and that’s all over Idaho and I think that’s a shame."
Gonzales said he still enjoys his job, but is also keenly aware of what’s ahead.
"It’s frustrating because it seems like the longer you work, the tougher it is to get ahead in today’s economy," said Gonzales, a math teacher. "The pay just does not keep up with the cost of living and that’s what’s tough. It’s hard to stay motivated when you know that’s your future."
Jolene Dockstader, president of the Jerome Education Association, said the pinch is especially difficult for young teachers who start out facing the prospect of a lower salary some try to pay off student loans.
Orth said it’s important for legislators to realize that besides balancing the budget, another constitutional mandate is to provide children an education. While teachers who further their education with postgraduate degrees may see little financial gain, she said teachers still choose their careers to educate – not for the money.
It’s a sentiment echoed around the Magic Valley.
"Our job together is to find the least disruptive process of education and trying to diminish the effect (of the cuts), but the reality is the resources are not going to be there," Filer School District Superintendent John Graham said. "And teachers … will do everything in their power to make sure students are learning."
An uncertain outcome
While administrators and teachers remain unsure of what next year’s final contract details will be, they agree they’ll be able to move forward once it’s determined.
"They would like to know," said Kimberly School District Superintendent Kathleen Noh of her district’s employees. "T hey’re anxious to get it settled so they know what the situation’s going to be next year, but they’re patient."
Lu Walker, a language arts and reading skills teacher at Bridge Academy in Twin Falls, said that since any cuts will be shared equally with all employees, the collaborative approach to dealing with the cuts has been positive.
"A lot of us are really disheartened," she said. "It’s out of our control, but I’ve also seen people come together and say ‘we can still do this.’"
Trina Ciocca, a health and physical education teacher at Wendell Middle School, said it’s important for the public to be aware of what’s happening in their school district.
Wendell teachers are bargaining in good faith and have a good working relationship with the district, said Ciocca, also president of the Wendell Education Association.
"It’s just been stressful because this is the worst that I’ve seen," she said. "Before at the bargaining table there’s been money to bargain for. Now it’s, ‘where are the cuts?’"