Tuesday, August 30, 2016

31% of Texas teachers moonlight during school year

Thirty-one percent of Texas teachers work a second job during the school year, and 49 percent work during the summer, according to a survey conducted for the Texas State Teachers Association. The survey of 837 teachers—10 percent were from rural schools—found that teachers with extra jobs averaged working 13.1 hours per week outside of the classroom during the school year, in addition to the 17 hours per week outside the classroom spent on school-related work, a TSTA release says.

Most teachers—86 percent—who moonlighted during the school year said they would like to quit the second job, but that they would need an average raise of $8,974 to do. Of those who moonlight, 72 percent said it is harmful to their quality of teaching. More than half—53 percent—of all respondents said they are considering leaving the profession. The average salary among respondents was listed as $53,147.

Survey respondents also blamed the state legislature's failure to adequately fund public schools. The $75 monthly contribution made to educator insurance premiums hasn't been raised in almost 15 years, and teachers spend an average of $656 per year on classroom supplies and $326 per month on health-insurance premiums.

Nationally, Texas ranks 26th in teacher pay, Julie Chang reports for the Austin American-Statesman. Data from 2015-16 from the National Education Association data shows that Texas teachers earn an average salary of $51,758—$6,306 below the national average. State education funding is $2,700 per student below the national average.

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