Fairfax Co. teachers can’t afford to live near where they work, report finds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So this may be an unpopular opinion and I have many family members who are teachers and agree with me so this is in no way meant to not show support for teachers, but it is a reality.

Teacher contracts are based on a 195-day contract which is 39 weeks. This is 75% of a full year.

Conversely, I am a small govt worker and my contract is based off a 52 week calendar. With more than 25 years of experience, I make about 2/3 of what a teacher with the same level of experience/education makes and receive about 1/2 of the market rate adjustment raises that teachers in FCPS receive each year.

So as a fellow government employee working in the same jurisdiction, I work more weeks, more hours (my job also requires me to work some nights and weekends) and get paid less and receive lower raises than teachers.

Teaching has become a very thankless job and many people like myself acknowledge the challenges and frustrations of being a teacher, but let's stop pretending that teachers are on an island when it comes to being underpaid and underappreciated.

+1,000,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an engineer. Paid well above a teacher. I could not afford to live alone when fresh out of school. I split a 2 BR apartment with someone else, not big, not fancy, while in my initial job out of school.

Same. I am a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax County should have subsidized housing for teachers, this is one group that deserves the benefit of subsidized housing. I live in McLean and if they were to propose affordable housing for teachers in my neighborhood, that I would wholeheartedly support.

I also live in McLean and would support something like this 100%. I've wondered for years why the county doesn't exercise some right to purchase what are becoming $3MM tear downs in our area for fair market or assessed value and rent them out to teachers? If FCPS isn't comfortable doing that start a REIT or Holding Company to do it. There are enough of these homes that it would really help the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Life is about choices. Get another career if the one you’re in isn’t lucrative enough to support where you live.

They are. My neighbor supervises student teachers. Years ago she said she would have 35-40 of them in different schools in one year. This year she started with 12-13 and now she has 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a young, brand new teacher, I had a roommate. And, yes, it took a large portion of my income. This was decades ago.

When I moved to DC after law school to work at DOJ I had a roommate. In an apartment. That is all I could afford for years. And we lawyers didn't cry about it.

Who is crying about it? WTOP?

Teachers. They complain about their income All.The.Time. Even when they make more than people with more education and responsibility who don't have months of time off every year.

I’ll have to look back and find that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what? Neither can I. It took me an hour and 44 mins to get to work this morning. And I have significantly more education than most teachers.

71% of FCPS teachers hold at least a Masters degree. Many have more than one advanced degree.

I’m curious… what’s your education background?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So this may be an unpopular opinion and I have many family members who are teachers and agree with me so this is in no way meant to not show support for teachers, but it is a reality.

Teacher contracts are based on a 195-day contract which is 39 weeks. This is 75% of a full year.

Conversely, I am a small govt worker and my contract is based off a 52 week calendar. With more than 25 years of experience, I make about 2/3 of what a teacher with the same level of experience/education makes and receive about 1/2 of the market rate adjustment raises that teachers in FCPS receive each year.

So as a fellow government employee working in the same jurisdiction, I work more weeks, more hours (my job also requires me to work some nights and weekends) and get paid less and receive lower raises than teachers.

Teaching has become a very thankless job and many people like myself acknowledge the challenges and frustrations of being a teacher, but let's stop pretending that teachers are on an island when it comes to being underpaid and underappreciated.

I work 65 hours a week for 40 weeks a year: 2,600 hours

A person who works 12 months (50 weeks) at 40 hours/week: 2,000 hours

Let’s say I have a 12 month job (50 weeks/year) and work 50 hours a week, going over time every week by 10 hours: 2,500 hours

Therefore, many teachers work FAR MORE than a year’s worth of work. They do it in a condensed 10 months before taking an unpaid summer to recover.

And NOBODY is saying teachers are on an island. We aren’t saying others have it easy. We are simply saying we have it hard. Interesting that everybody has to come at us. How about, “you’re right. You do work hard, too. We see you.”

[Anonymous]

Teachers have become master complainers. There are numerous professions that can’t afford this area but they don’t get articles written for them.

Teachers get pensions, good benefits and more leave than any other profession (I knows, I know- you only care paid for 39 weeks).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what? Neither can I. It took me an hour and 44 mins to get to work this morning. And I have significantly more education than most teachers.

71% of FCPS teachers hold at least a Masters degree. Many have more than one advanced degree.

I’m curious… what’s your education background?

Np. They don't need it. I'm all for paying teachers more, but they should be paid more because it's a hard job, not because they have an unnecessary masters degree.

[Anonymous]

I can’t afford to live near my accounting firm. My commute is an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers have become master complainers. There are numerous professions that can’t afford this area but they don’t get articles written for them.

Teachers get pensions, good benefits and more leave than any other profession (I knows, I know- you only care paid for 39 weeks).

You’re welcome to teach. If teachers have it better than you, then jump on over.

Plenty have left the profession to make room for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what? Neither can I. It took me an hour and 44 mins to get to work this morning. And I have significantly more education than most teachers.

71% of FCPS teachers hold at least a Masters degree. Many have more than one advanced degree.

I’m curious… what’s your education background?

Np. They don't need it. I'm all for paying teachers more, but they should be paid more because it's a hard job, not because they have an unnecessary masters degree.

I teach AP. You think my degree in my discipline is unnecessary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was a young, brand new teacher, I had a roommate. And, yes, it took a large portion of my income. This was decades ago.

We need boarding houses. My mom was a teacher and when she started out, she lived in a boarding house with other teachers. 1950’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what? Neither can I. It took me an hour and 44 mins to get to work this morning. And I have significantly more education than most teachers.

71% of FCPS teachers hold at least a Masters degree. Many have more than one advanced degree.

I’m curious… what’s your education background?

I have a JD from a top 20 school and an MFA in writing. Is that enough for you? For my "education background"? Compared to the bs master's degree most teachers have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers have become master complainers. There are numerous professions that can’t afford this area but they don’t get articles written for them.

Teachers get pensions, good benefits and more leave than any other profession (I knows, I know- you only care paid for 39 weeks).

This is exactly right. 100%.