Are teachers underpaid? I don't think so. They rank first in total compensation to the six states contiguous with Utah and second among the nine Western states.
Utah has the third-lowest cost of living of the nine Western states. Utah also has the lowest per-capita income in the Western states at $16,138. Utah teachers' average income with benefits is $40,515 per year. It makes a taxpayer wonder just how much the above-average teacher receives for 180 days per year. Also how much does the average taxpayer make working all year?It doesn't take a lot of time to double your pay when you receive a 4 percent to 10 percent raise every year, then throw in career-ladder funding and an automatic raise on top of your raise on your third, sixth and ninth years.
It's easy to see why there is no money for new books, etc., and why property tax is going up and up and up. What is not easy to see is why the so-called public servants make more than the people they serve.
Gerald L. Erickson
Lehi