A teacher in Arizona asks the question, "Is this enough?", after posting a photo of her pay stub to social media.
Elisabeth Milich, a second grade teacher in Paradise Valley, says she couldn't afford to be an educator without her husband's salary support, as she is projected to earn just over $35,000.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey responded during a recent radio interview, claiming that teacher pay has increased but he'd like to see more.
Milich takes issue with the claim, saying teachers have needed to resort to taking second and third jobs to pay bills.
The pay stub is above, and you can see that Milich received a raise of $131 a year after taking professional development classes.
Do teachers deserve more? Yes, especially given the current environment in which they are often viewed as the enemy by parents who are protecting children whose behavior or effort needs correction.
The issue for teachers is that they aim their anger at politicians. But who REALLY pays their salary? The taxpayer. A taxpayer who ALSO feels underpaid and unappreciated. It's not that politicians purposely short teachers. The government funds teacher salaries along with all other priorities.
The only way to DRAMATICALLY increase a teacher's salary year-over-year - while not shorting other priorities - would be to raise taxes. Which takes more money out of the pocket of the taxpayer that also feels underpaid and underappreciated. THERE'S the rub.
So Governors like Doug Ducey attempt to increase teacher salaries year-over-year as the budget allows. It's not fast enough for educators, but it may be the only realistic approach.