Arbitrary conclusions don’t bode well in the policy arena where hard data should inform decisions affecting taxpayer money. So it’s tempting to view Envision Utah’s proclamation Wednesday that teacher salaries should start around $60,000 and grow to $110,000 over the course of a career as random numbers divorced from reality.
But those numbers aren’t arbitrary; they’re rooted in months of study, analyses and collaboration, and they deserve a fair debate.
What may not be rooted in reality, on the other hand, is any perception that implementing the overhaul would be a political cakewalk.
Envision Utah, combined with an impressive task force of community leaders, politicians, business representatives and educators, suggests stabilizing Utah’s teacher shortage by first incentivizing prospective teachers to join the profession — as well as luring former teachers back to their schools — through increasing salaries across the board. Second, they would ensure teachers have adequate support and coaching by dedicating mentor teachers to guide teacher induction.
Those worthy pursuits come with an estimated price tag of $500-600 million for salaries and retirement benefits, plus another $32.5 million for mentor teacher networks. The group also proposes setting aside $45 million for teaching scholarships. And we’re still not convinced the realized costs of these changes wouldn’t be more.
That’s a hard pitch to a Legislature already dragging its feet on a tax reform process that doesn’t have an end in sight. Any increases to teacher pay would result in restructuring the tax base, whether through increasing the income tax or funneling other revenues into the education fund, and that would take some real political will to accomplish anytime soon. A forthcoming election year doesn’t help matters, either.
And then there’s the question of equity. In striving to maintain local control over education, school districts keep the portion of taxes their residents pay up. That naturally leads to disparities across counties. Could San Juan School District afford to pay its teachers a $60,000 starting salary as easily as Canyons School District in Salt Lake County? Probably not, yet rural areas are more likely to need the boost to attract and retain the best talent in the classroom.
Next to strong support in the home, research shows a quality teacher has the greatest influence on a student’s success.
The Legislature should take up the issue as part of its tax reform efforts and find a more prudent distribution of education funds across the state. It could be as simple as dispersing monies from a central coffer in proportion to the number of teachers in a district. Wealthier areas would resist, but the state as a whole would benefit from more students receiving a quality education.
None of that matters, though, if the conversations don’t happen, and it would be a shame to let Envision Utah’s report collect dust on a bookshelf. Educators are begging for change, and a 2018 Utah Policy poll shows Utahns overwhelmingly agree teachers deserve more pay. Legislators need to respond.
Next to strong support in the home, research shows a quality teacher has the greatest influence on a student’s success. Now, Utahns have a chance to start this debate and show the country what an army of happy, qualified and supported teachers can do for the future of America’s youths.