Re: arizona teacher salary

1) School districts will be facing MASS layoffs AGAIN next year.
The market will be saturated with veterans. Our school is losing
5 teachers this year and another 6 at least next year (out of
about 70 total), in one of the largest districts in the state.
Some high schools may be laying off teachers, cutting courses,
and effectively telling students (and parents) "You cannot meet
all your college entrance requirements at our school in 4
years." Leading to yet more flight into (tragically sub-par, for
the most part) charters, resulting in more cuts, then still
further enrollment losses, etc etc etc (the death-spiral is not
pretty). There is no job security to offset the starvation wages.

2)Our Repub-led legislature despises us. Next week, legislation
will go into effect that prohibits districts from granting paid
release for association/lobbying activity; prohibits the
protection of tenured teachers in layoffs (can't base layoffs on
seniority); does away with the requirement that districts offer
probationary teachers contracts by April or tenured teachers by
May; allows districts to reduce the salary of any individual
tenured teacher for any reason and whenever (instead of under a
general salary reduction); and prohibits that districts from
giving RIF'ed teachers preference when re-hiring. (By the
way...WEAR BLACK on Tuesday the 24th if you want to protest this
exceedingly spiteful legislation enacted by our illustrious
politicians).

3) Our overall state economy is second only to California in its
state of collapse. The general public is unwilling to support
public education, continually voting down budget overrides.

Honestly I feel really badly for the new teachers in this state
graduating into this environment.

On 11/16/09, No longer a teacher in AZ wrote:
> If you are thinking of moving to AZ to be a teacher, please
> reconsider. Arizona doesn't pay its teachers enough. Sports
> stars make more than the teachers in that state. I taught and
> lived there for ten years and never made what I was worth.
>
> The cost of living is out of control as well.
>
>
> On 11/16/09, intersted wrote:
>> Can anyone give me an idea of what a first year techer
>> makes in AZ? I am thinking about relocating to AZ and just
>> received my degree in elementary ed. Any advise?