MCEA and Jennifer Martin act like a bunch of lunatics at Council yesterday

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think whenever there are talks about teacher pay, it's helpful to have the actual information
https://www.mceanea.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/0355.21_MCEA_2021-2022_Contract-3.pdf (located on page 90 here)

Otherwise the narrative becomes "teachers are so underpaid".

OK, maybe they are. But let's have that discussion when framed with the actual numbers.

A teacher with 10 years experience and a masters (which you have to get) would earn 80,287.

That is not a bad salary for 10 months.

Maybe it should be more, but it is also higher than many people think, and is more than many Montgomery county residents make.

Lol do you even hear yourself? Someone with ten years experience and a masters should be happy with 80k in Montgomery County? My starting salary with a masters and zero experience was 93k. What an insult and a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think whenever there are talks about teacher pay, it's helpful to have the actual information
https://www.mceanea.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/0355.21_MCEA_2021-2022_Contract-3.pdf (located on page 90 here)

Otherwise the narrative becomes "teachers are so underpaid".

OK, maybe they are. But let's have that discussion when framed with the actual numbers.

A teacher with 10 years experience and a masters (which you have to get) would earn 80,287.

That is not a bad salary for 10 months.

Maybe it should be more, but it is also higher than many people think, and is more than many Montgomery county residents make.

Lol do you even hear yourself? Someone with ten years experience and a masters should be happy with 80k in Montgomery County? My starting salary with a masters and zero experience was 93k. What an insult and a joke.

It's far more than other professionals with a masters make in the county who work 12 months a year vs. 10 months. $80K for 10 months is a good salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think whenever there are talks about teacher pay, it's helpful to have the actual information
https://www.mceanea.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/0355.21_MCEA_2021-2022_Contract-3.pdf (located on page 90 here)

Otherwise the narrative becomes "teachers are so underpaid".

OK, maybe they are. But let's have that discussion when framed with the actual numbers.

A teacher with 10 years experience and a masters (which you have to get) would earn 80,287.

That is not a bad salary for 10 months.

Maybe it should be more, but it is also higher than many people think, and is more than many Montgomery county residents make.

Are you an educator? I have friends who are with 10+ years in the county that aren’t making that yet. You have to pay for your own masters. And if you are lucky, mcps might pay you back some of it. I am paying for my own masters right now. $44K. Mcps said they won’t look at my program to determine if there are classes they would reimburse. I’m not going to base my future education around the idiots at mcps. There is no set protocol for advancement. We all just scramble around until we finally make something work or someone to finally help us.


I make around 62K. 5 years in. They counted my teachers prep program as a MA equivalent. FCPS did not. Otherwise I’d be making about 5k less. This is a 2nd career for me. If you come in from another county or another career you start low. In my 5 years, I have gotten my step maybe once or twice. It’s so confusing. I lost count. I thought coming in, every year you get the next step. It absolutely does not work that way. I have no idea what I will be making next year. I barely can afford to live here. So I’m leaving teaching. My masters I decided would be one outside the field of education in a field where I hope to be treated like the professional I am. (I’m also a parent - partially why I entered the field is because I thought it would be good to be off with my kid - I had more flexibility when I was in an office -kid you not - no pun intended). It’s almost impossible to take a day off. Plus you have to do write lesson plans - it’s a disaster. My first year my son ended up with a pretty serious injury. I remember how panicked I was that I had to write lesson plans for my sub in between tests. Yes. My admin made me do this.

Those outside the field looking in think it’s silly they acted that way.
But once you are in, unless you are admin or have been at mcps for years and years, you have to fight for everything. It’s exhausting. For my own mental health and future, I will be so relieved when I can finally walk away from this hellfire of an employer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think whenever there are talks about teacher pay, it's helpful to have the actual information
https://www.mceanea.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/0355.21_MCEA_2021-2022_Contract-3.pdf (located on page 90 here)

Otherwise the narrative becomes "teachers are so underpaid".

OK, maybe they are. But let's have that discussion when framed with the actual numbers.

A teacher with 10 years experience and a masters (which you have to get) would earn 80,287.

That is not a bad salary for 10 months.

Maybe it should be more, but it is also higher than many people think, and is more than many Montgomery county residents make.

Lol do you even hear yourself? Someone with ten years experience and a masters should be happy with 80k in Montgomery County? My starting salary with a masters and zero experience was 93k. What an insult and a joke.

I'm the poster that posted the salary tables.

Are you comparing a masters in ed to say an MBA? Law?

What salary would be appropriate in your opinion?

Again 80- with great benefits, a pension, and 2 months off is not bad. It may not be what you think, but its an awful lot more than tons of people in moco make, and facts are important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think whenever there are talks about teacher pay, it's helpful to have the actual information
https://www.mceanea.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/0355.21_MCEA_2021-2022_Contract-3.pdf (located on page 90 here)

Otherwise the narrative becomes "teachers are so underpaid".

OK, maybe they are. But let's have that discussion when framed with the actual numbers.

A teacher with 10 years experience and a masters (which you have to get) would earn 80,287.

That is not a bad salary for 10 months.

Maybe it should be more, but it is also higher than many people think, and is more than many Montgomery county residents make.

Lol do you even hear yourself? Someone with ten years experience and a masters should be happy with 80k in Montgomery County? My starting salary with a masters and zero experience was 93k. What an insult and a joke.

What it only for 10 months?

[Anonymous]

MCPS has a much better health plan than I do:
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/ersc/employees/benefits/employee_benefit_summary_current.pdf

Page 39 has costs. For full coverage, empployee, spouse, family it's $250/month for a 10-month employee (during those 10 months), and that includes 12 months of coverage. Nearly everything is coverd, with a $20 copay at most, and a total deductible of $1k.

[Anonymous]

No one is saying teachers are rich, or overpaid.

But when you look at the actual pay tables, and steps- and factor in very good family healthcare, and a defined benefit pension (!) it is certainly a solidly middle class job.

There are plenty of places in the country that do not pay their teachers like professionals.

Montgomery County, MD is not one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS has a much better health plan than I do:
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/ersc/employees/benefits/employee_benefit_summary_current.pdf

Page 39 has costs. For full coverage, empployee, spouse, family it's $250/month for a 10-month employee (during those 10 months), and that includes 12 months of coverage. Nearly everything is coverd, with a $20 copay at most, and a total deductible of $1k.

Do you want to get hired? Because they are hiring. Otherwise….What’s your point? They should just shut up and be grateful for what they get like the public servants they are?

[Anonymous]

I dont think anyone here said they should "shut up and be happy"

I think the point was Moco isnt Arkansas or some Red State who doesnt pay their teachers anything.

They get a professional, middle class salary, that is higher than most incomes in the county.

[Anonymous]

You are insinuating it. If they want to ask for a full budget, they can. You understand they weren’t just talking about salary. The schools are a shit show right now. Kids refusing to do work, skipping school, taking and dealing drugs, fights everyday. Dealing with Pushy “stakeholders” Or do you also deal with that in your cushy office job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one is saying teachers are rich, or overpaid.

But when you look at the actual pay tables, and steps- and factor in very good family healthcare, and a defined benefit pension (!) it is certainly a solidly middle class job.

There are plenty of places in the country that do not pay their teachers like professionals.

Montgomery County, MD is not one of them.

NP. Great. You think the pay is fine. Why can't they find enough staff to work for it, then? Why can't they retain staff if it's all fine and dandy? What should they change and how should they fund it?

And please don't quote "central office bloat." The people squawking about that on here have no concept of what's actually bloat and what isn't. They cut special ed cluster supervisors a few years ago and it was a disaster. Special ed in general is a disaster. And I haven't heard one single productive, feasible solution from anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are insinuating it. If they want to ask for a full budget, they can. You understand they weren’t just talking about salary. The schools are a shit show right now. Kids refusing to do work, skipping school, taking and dealing drugs, fights everyday. Dealing with Pushy “stakeholders” Or do you also deal with that in your cushy office job.

I am in favor of raising teacher salaries but I can't imagine that will solve these issues or help that much to retain teachers. At a certain point working conditions are just too bad for pay to be enough to retain people.

[Anonymous]

Friedson is a shill. He benefited from the great schools MCPS had in the 90s and now he doesn’t care at all.

[Anonymous]

Gee, if only there were a way to know what teachers wanted in order to stay in the field. Oh wait — they have democratically elected union reps to express that view. Maybe we should listen to them if we don’t want them all to quit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friedson is a shill. He benefited from the great schools MCPS had in the 90s and now he doesn’t care at all.

A shill for whom? A shill for what?