Teacher's Salary Table (Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Hamburg: credit, how much, find a job)

[nana8282]

Does anyone understand the teacher's salary table for buffalo? I am thinking about moving to buffalo but I want to know how much teachers are paid in buffalo.

They have the 2003-04 BTF Teacher's Salary Schedule posted on the buffalo public school website.

It looks something like this:
Step BS BS+10 BS+20 BS+30
1 32,897 33,900 34,903 35,906


I don't know what BS+10 mean. Does it mean Bachelors plus post college credit hours? I think the "Step" means years working.

Can someone clarify this for me?
I've attached the salary table if you wish to see it for yourself.

Thank you.

[Fullerboss]

I am also a teacher and from what I know that is exactly what that means. BS +10 is your bachelors plus 10 more credit hours and the steps can either be years you are teaching or the way the salary increment works.It all depends on the district for that one.
My husband and I are also thinking about moving to Buffalo but I have no idea how the teaching situation is out there, do you have any clue? I would love to know!

[nana8282]

Hi thanks for clearing things up for me. I actually have no clue how the teaching situation is in Buffalo...I too would love to know. I'm actually from Texas. However, from reading the other threads it looks like it would be easier to find a job in Buffalo then say NYC. Maybe someone reading this thread can give us some insight.

[BuffaloTransplant]

I taught in Buffalo almost 30 years. I won't mince words on the system; it is tough.

How much experience do you have and what field? They need weird bilingual, some technolgy ( computers), math and science and not much else. They hire people with expeience first and then go for just out of college -- if they can't find anyone. Ethnic balance is important to the district for teachers. A job in El. Ed is hard...this area has something like 7 colleges turning out el. ed. teachers. This contract was put in place after I retired and salary is frozen. The pay is not going anywhere until the Control Board is lifted. You also are required to live in the city.

A person hired out of college/no experience is at Step 1 & makes 32,897 -- if they pay this at all , as opposed to the old contract. If you have experience, I hear they are hiring up to step 3 at Bachelors 36,187 for people working already; even w/10 years experince, you get hired on Step 3. The district ( and in all of NY state) requires a master's of 30 hours -- or more. Mine was 37.( you get paid in groups of 10 hours (B+10, B+20, etc.) . I believe you get 3 years to get yours now; when I started teaching, it was 5 years . You finish a Masters, you get a MS salary. You can go up to the MS+30 after; no other pay [ that is an MS plus an add'l 30+ hours; I retired with an MS plus 37; . BS+ 40, 50 , 60 doesn't apply to many anymore; you get MS +10, 20, 30[Basically ,figure all summers in school until you get the degree because you aren't going to want to go to school after an 8 hour day.]

If you come here, expect a heavily urban district, little cash for a teacher for a classroom [you spend your own], anything from small to large classes ( depends on the neighborhood you are in), fairly old schools.... a majority of minority students -- quite a plethora of kids from all over -- from black and hispanic to eastern european and asians -- and more. Many newer ESL students are refugees. This is the reason they need "odd" bilingual teachers. [I got one girl in class who spoke only an odd Russian dialect -- it took 3 weeks before they could find a person ( an aide) to translate! You don't generally get one on one help for language.] Last I knew, they had about 40+ languages spoken (that is according to a friend who taught at the bilingual elementary school) Of course, some people get lucky on hire and go into the better schools.... I taught all over the city in my 30 years, good and bad areas. When the population & pupil demographics change, you get moved. Simple matter of where the students are living....

Did I regret it? Never. Did the system change drastically over 30 years? Yes. At least the kids will tell you HONESTLY what they think... and some is tough stuff. Parents are not as involved in the education to the degree suburban ones are except for a few schools.

You want to come here as opposed to NYC. One teacher I knew ( a local from here) came back from NYC and was appalled at the pay cut. She had the room next to mine. She expected what NYC gave her -- a 'mentor teacher' for half the day so she could sit back and have the mentor basically teach while she learned. Pay is way higher in NYC and the NY metro area; so is cost of living. Here, you fly on your own. You also get problems like kids thinking they are out on the street, not school, & challenging you as well as things like pregnant girls in elementary ( youngest I ever saw was 10 -- incestous rape; at 12 and 13 it is not unusual). However, I imagine NYC is worse. I guess most urban city districts are similar to Buffalo.

If you want college bound kids who are polite and courteous, Buffalo is not for you. If you have guts and are willing to put your all into teaching, it might be.

[nana8282]

Hi BuffaloTransplant,

Thanks for such a thoughtful response. I appreciated reading a response from an experienced teacher from Buffalo. I actually received my BA, worked abroad, then enrolled back into the university's post-bacc program for elementary education. In that sense, I should be considered a BA+40. I am knowledgeable in intermediate French and speak fluent Vietnamese. Since i've only recently finished school, I would be considered to be one of those teachers fresh out of college. However, I've worked in the classroom for 3 semesters as an apprentice teacher.

I'm suprised that you only get 3 years to get a masters. I was looking on the NY education website the other day and they said you have 5 years. Maybe they need to update their info! I plan to get my masters in the future anyway (in counseling) so this might actually give me a push. I'm surprised that it's so difficult to find an elementary teaching job in Buffalo. I hope that my language skills and internships will make me a good candidate for a teaching position in Buffalo.

[hockeygirl4]

I'm not all that up to speed on the teacher lingo, but my brother's friend who has a Master's degree was about to qualify for tenure and was let go. This happened three separate times in three separate school districts. He gave up finally and joined the Marines...he's overseas in Iraq now.

[iloveupstateny]

Originally Posted by hockeygirl4

I'm not all that up to speed on the teacher lingo, but my brother's friend who has a Master's degree was about to qualify for tenure and was let go. This happened three separate times in three separate school districts. He gave up finally and joined the Marines...he's overseas in Iraq now.

were these school districts in Buffalo?

[Samrai309]

Originally Posted by nana8282

Hi BuffaloTransplant,

Thanks for such a thoughtful response. I appreciated reading a response from an experienced teacher from Buffalo. I actually received my BA, worked abroad, then enrolled back into the university's post-bacc program for elementary education. In that sense, I should be considered a BA+40. I am knowledgeable in intermediate French and speak fluent Vietnamese. Since i've only recently finished school, I would be considered to be one of those teachers fresh out of college. However, I've worked in the classroom for 3 semesters as an apprentice teacher.

I'm suprised that you only get 3 years to get a masters. I was looking on the NY education website the other day and they said you have 5 years. Maybe they need to update their info! I plan to get my masters in the future anyway (in counseling) so this might actually give me a push. I'm surprised that it's so difficult to find an elementary teaching job in Buffalo. I hope that my language skills and internships will make me a good candidate for a teaching position in Buffalo.

I too have heard that the Masters is 3 years now instead of 5. I also heard that it has to be in Education so I am not sure if your Masters in counseling would qualify. THey may need to update their website but I could be wrong. Once again this is what I think my friend told me...she is a teacher in Queens and we were talking about NY requirements as I am certified out of state. I do not necessarily agree with some of their (NYS) expectations and requirements but that is for another day's thread. Good luck.

[Tress]

Originally Posted by hockeygirl4

I'm not all that up to speed on the teacher lingo, but my brother's friend who has a Master's degree was about to qualify for tenure and was let go. This happened three separate times in three separate school districts. He gave up finally and joined the Marines...he's overseas in Iraq now.

There is only one district in Buffalo.
Tress

[hockeygirl4]

He worked in the city, and at Cheektowaga, as well as Hamburg. I wasn't sure about the school district tenure issues, but I know he had those problems definitely at Cheektowaga and Hamburg. Wasn't sure about the city.