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I mean reading and hearing a lot of things concerning teachers benefits.
Do teachers still have benefits?
I heard that many teachers are not being tenure anymore I mean soon teachers won´t have security in their job.
I think it is sad that teachers are not getting valued, since teacher is one of the job in the country that not only gives back to the society to the country in general since we are the one that educate the student who are the future doctors and president and etc.
I mean we already contribute with taxes and incomes, plus, we contribute with our work. Because if it was for teachers this country won't grow economically since people need to learn how to read and do math to work right?
Romila, We're a big country and as you surely know by now, every state has it's own policies regarding schools. In Pennsylvania we have 501(!) school districts and each district is self ruled, meaning the administration, along with our very strong teacher unions, decide salary and benefits. The teachers in my school district have very strong benefits and are also paid well, which is why our schools are good and jobs are scarce.
Tenure itself is a very prickly subject. Most of us not in the education field would also love tenure and good benefits in our jobs. I work at a public library where there are zero health benefits, no tenure and the pay is worse then any teacher. I'm certainly "giving back" to society...
toobusytoday is correct. It not only varies across the whole country, but can vary from county to county or even from town to town if the districts are broken up as they are in PA.
I am also wondering what you mean by the question. Do you mean that these plans are covered by the district, or are you simply asking if teachers have health and retirement plans? I would say that the majority of public school teachers have medical, dental and retirement plans, but there are large differences in what we pay for them. For example, for a family, it costs a teacher in my district between $330 and $420 a month. An individual pays between $77 and $101 a month for a health plan depending on which one is chosen. In my brother's district, the cost for family coverage is about $600 a month. When we retire it gets very expensive with the retiree covering all but $100 of the cost. Dental is additional $.
The answer is yes (here) but. . . I've noticed that on MOREAP that many of the teaching jobs are offered for parttime or temp so that they don't have to pay benefits. Also, if a teacher quits, often they will get in a permanent sub.
Yes, here in IL they all get a sweet deal, esp on their pensions with cost of living raises. although recently they recently "two-tiered" it and the new teachers going in do not get as good of a deal since our state is broke.
As for the part-time/temp thing - that is the way the whole working world in the u.s is going these days. Education is no different. Too bad
For all those who aren't teachers who say, "I would love to have the benefits of teachers!" then I have some advice for you:
1. Get a B.A. in college (4 years)
2. Get an M.A. (an additional 2 years)
3. Get a teaching credential (35 semester units, an additional year of college)
Teachers' health benefits are the bare minimum they should get with the amount of vitriol dumped upon them in the press and by others who have no conception of what the profession entails. And tenure can only be understood by teachers themselves. A librarian doesn't have to deal with the politics of the teaching profession, nor deal with 170 students at the HS level every day. Are they falsely accused of sexual molestation, for instance? No. They don't need the same job protections that tenure ensures. (And I am not attacking librarians, my mother was one).
Teaching is a poorly paid and bitterly attacked profession. What college student would even think of entering this morass?
I pay $20 a month for a 80/20 health plan that does not cover dependents.
$20 month for dental
$10 month for vision
My retirement is 7% of my pay into a state fund that is paid 5% (I think) interest
And they want to teache because...they believe they can change the world? So did I back in 1995. If I only knew now what I didn't then.
But just like teenagers, new teachers believe they know more than one with 20 years in the classroom, they believe they have a better understanding of education, they tell themselves they can "make a difference" in the life on one child, they believe everything I did in 1995.
I used to tell myself if it was just one child, I was successful. Then I starting asking myself what about the other 20? the other 30? What was I doing wrong that I could only save ONE child. Then I made the mistake of asking my fellow teachers, then I dared to ask administration what could be done to get through to the other 20?
was told to teach by the curriculum, follow the script, and those who accept the teachings would make it. Those who don't accept the way it is, will fail and fall by the wayside. I was not willing to accept their teaching.
So I started to insist those who were stumbling needed something other than teaching to the test. They needed to have a reason to be in school.
I was ostracized and called a heretic. Then I was blamed for their failure becaue I refused to follow the script.
I mean reading and hearing a lot of things concerning teachers benefits.
Do teachers still have benefits?
I heard that many teachers are not being tenure anymore I mean soon teachers won´t have security in their job.
I think it is sad that teachers are not getting valued, since teacher is one of the job in the country that not only gives back to the society to the country in general since we are the one that educate the student who are the future doctors and president and etc.
I mean we already contribute with taxes and incomes, plus, we contribute with our work. Because if it was for teachers this country won't grow economically since people need to learn how to read and do math to work right?
As some other poster have said, it varies across the country. Two extremes are Pennsylvania and Florida. PA teachers have the best health insurance available and most have gradually started paying for a small part of it. They have an outstanding retirement system that is above and beyond any other retirement package. PA teachers also receive tenure after 3 years of teaching. Florida teachers hired after July 1, 2011 will not have tenure and will be on one year contracts. Florida teachers do not contribute for individual basic health insurance but have poor policies that do not cover many expenses. My understanding of FL's pension plan is it pays a max of 48 percent of the teacher's highest five years. PA's plan pays up to 87% plus has a very large lump sum payment on retirement. Florida passed a law last year requiring teachers to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the Florida Retirement System.
Romila, We're a big country and as you surely know by now, every state has it's own policies regarding schools. In Pennsylvania we have 501(!) school districts and each district is self ruled, meaning the administration, along with our very strong teacher unions, decide salary and benefits. The teachers in my school district have very strong benefits and are also paid well, which is why our schools are good and jobs are scarce.
Tenure itself is a very prickly subject. Most of us not in the education field would also love tenure and good benefits in our jobs. I work at a public library where there are zero health benefits, no tenure and the pay is worse then any teacher. I'm certainly "giving back" to society...
Oh okay. Because I know some teacher do get their salary of course and from their salary there are discount that goes to health and dental and retirement I am not sure what percentage that is, but it must not hurt that much their original salary right.
Lets say a teacher get 35,000.00 dollars and from that it is discounted about 1,000.00 dollars that goes to her health plan and dental and retirement plan that the district offer her. Is that how it works?
Toobusytoday I just think that every public worker needs to feel secure and have good benefits because we are serving the public which is not an easy job. Because you know the public is feel with people with different attitude and personality and what not, and who has done psychology knows how that can be. Especially when dealing with people or even student that woke up on the wrong side of the bed and want to take his or her anger out on the wrong person being her a teacher or librarian or what not.
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Oh okay.
