Do top private school teachers get paid less than public?

[Anonymous]

I taught at both private and public, before I went back to school to go into a different field. As others have said, it was a warmer, more supportive, family-like community in the private school. I was only a couple years out of college, living several hundred miles away from where I grew up, and my colleagues were like family to me. I left teaching six years ago and I am still in touch with many of them.

In terms of instruction, the private school was fantastic in that I had so much more autonomy and the opportunity to be so much more creative than in the public school. There was still oversight, of course, but no one was checking up on me emphasizing stupid details like they did in public school (did my lesson plans follow the right format, did I write the "objective" on the board and have the students read it, did I have appropriate rubrics for each assignment, did I change my bulletin boards frequently enough, etc., etc., etc.). If I had a new idea of how to do something, of course I ran it by my team to make sure it was ok, but I was allowed to be very creative and the administration was very flexible. I loved my private school and some days I really wish I hadn't left.

This is just the sort of BS that makes teachers want to leave publics--even very good, high performing ones.

[Anonymous]

@13:42 I am a PP who was an IA at a public in an affluent area. When I was fully licensed, I taught at a school that was overall middle class, but a much higher rate of FARMS kids than the school where I was an IA. After this school, I have gone to teach in a small private. While I took a pay cut, it was worth it because less admin oversight and better student behavior. Admin was a pain at the affluent school, but not so much behavior like the higher FARMS school. (I am not posting this while in class. We are on break.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all the private school teachers who have posted here, have you also taught in a high performing public in an affluent area? I am just curious if you are basing your opinions about public schools on perception or experience.

Yes. When I taught public I had between 115-125 students a year. This year I have 65 students in private.

And as a PP noted, there's a lot of BS hoop-jumping in public that you don't get in private.

And even in wealthy districts, getting funded for anything is damn near impossible. I rarely went to conferences because even if I could get the release time (I had 1 "professional development day" a year, but that didn't mean it would actually be approved) I could rarely get it funded, so I would have to pay out of pocket if I wanted to go. At my current (private) school, I've never been turned down for a local conference, ever. I did one out of state once that required a flight/hotel and that was partially funded.

I'm not saying teaching in public was terrible; it wasn't. The cultures are very different. Private has been a better fit for me, personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we make less. But I continue to teach in privates because of the strong community, small class size, supportive families, etc.

And how does this compare to a top small public school in a wealthy neighborhood?

Class size and teaching load are mandated by the county in Public Schools. I've taught at a public in a wealthy neighborhood and found many, many supportive parents. Supplies and physical resources (books, computers, basic supplies) were well funded by the PTA, but there are limits to what is allowed. The community was generally great. However, some parents were very pushy and harder to deal with than those at a top private I've had experience with.

In my experience, salaries and benefits are better in public, facilities, supplies, support from administration, professional development and flexibility are better from most privates.

[Anonymous]

For the poster who asked about how to make private school teachers' lives easier - look at housing. Like many in the DC area, my biggest gripe is my commute. My school is in Bethesda but I can't live anywhere near there. I work a lot of evenings and this gets in the way of my seeing my family. If I lived closer I could go back and forth more easily. Many private schools have housing for top administrators/heads of school. I think they need to start looking at housing assistant for other members of the faculty if they want to keep the community feel they have enjoyed for so long. I'm in my 30s and none of the teachers my age live near campus. Older teachers do and when they retire it will be difficult for the school to keep the level of teacher attendance at after school events up.

[Anonymous]

Also, most good private schools have excellent cafeterias. Breakfast and coffee for breakfast and lunches staff actually eat. That also saves a lot of time/money for staff. My youngest goes to an ES that is severely overcrowded and I went to put popsicles in the lounge freezer for her birthday and the entire fridge/freezer is packed with lunch bags/food. The entire school staff has ONE fridge and one small room with about 8 chairs to eat. That sucks.

I think most younger teachers want public because they want the pay and think they can handle it. I find that private school teachers are not only very well educated and seasoned, they just aren't stressed. They know they are getting a pay cut but appreciate actually being able to teach and enjoy their job. They get to know the students and WANT to. No burn-out. If I was a teacher with a family, I would take the pay but all day long to have a normal home life.

[Anonymous]

^^I would take the pay-cut, not pay but.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all the private school teachers who have posted here, have you also taught in a high performing public in an affluent area? I am just curious if you are basing your opinions about public schools on perception or experience.

Yes. I taught at one of the McLean high schools and completely agree with what the other teachers said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They also generally receive either free or heavily discounted tuition for their kid(s), which can more than make up for the difference in salary.

This only makes a difference if they actually have kids. It is a benefit that only applies to those with families. However, even with the discount (rarely free) it is still upwards of 15K for tuition. I know lots of colleagues with kids in public because it just isn't enough.

[Anonymous]

I'm a former private school teacher who left a big 5 and is now in a top performing public in an affluent area (essentially a public-private school.) I love it. The kids are just as motivated for the most part, and I got a five figure bump in pay. I'd say the parents are more appreciative overall in my public. We DO test more, but our school doesn't put a lot of emphasis on the state and county tests because most of our kids pass them anyway. I don't think I'd go back to private...there are more opportunities for growth in the public sector, IMO...and I feel like I can speak more to the current climate in education vs when I was at a private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the poster who asked about how to make private school teachers' lives easier - look at housing. Like many in the DC area, my biggest gripe is my commute. My school is in Bethesda but I can't live anywhere near there. I work a lot of evenings and this gets in the way of my seeing my family. If I lived closer I could go back and forth more easily. Many private schools have housing for top administrators/heads of school. I think they need to start looking at housing assistant for other members of the faculty if they want to keep the community feel they have enjoyed for so long. I'm in my 30s and none of the teachers my age live near campus. Older teachers do and when they retire it will be difficult for the school to keep the level of teacher attendance at after school events up.

How can parents enter into discussions with school management about teacher benefits? Wouldn't most administrations find that intrusive? Is there some way to raise his without seeming instructive (which probably would not help further he cause)?