Once again, a Democrat needs a little help with math. This time around it’s state Sen. Marko Liias that is struggling. Of course, we can’t be too hard on Liias—he has a $60,000+ per year part-time job writing the City of Mukilteo’s newsletter, not taking care of the accounting.
In his latest legislative update, Liias argues that state officials “pay entry-level public school teachers so little they qualify for public assistance.” So, he introduced a state income tax to remedy the situation.
Liias claims that teachers with masters’ degrees receive only $40,820 from the state—a salary he calls “deplorable.” His bill would create a state income tax to boost these salaries to $48,000.
As the Washington Policy Center points out, Liias is right—$40,820 is a low salary for a teacher. But, the question that needs to be asked is: “Why has Senator Liias agreed to such low level of teacher pay in the first place?”
The low salaries levels of these starting teachers are not for lack of funding. The Washington Policy Center gives the math lesson:
On average, school districts receive $11,300 per student in funding from all sources, more than the yearly tuition at many private schools. That level of funding equals $293,800 for a typical public school classroom of 26 students. If state officials paid the teacher, say, $110,000 for a ten-month work year, that would leave $183,800 to cover all the other educational expenses for students.
Wealthy school districts have even more money available. Seattle spends $13,700 per student, nearly twice what it costs to attend a Catholic grade school in the city. That’s $356,200 for a typical classroom of 26 students. If officials paid the teacher $110,000 for the ten-month work year, they would have $246,200 to cover all other educational expenses for students.
But, that’s not the whole story. Teachers receive more than the base salary provided by the state. By not adding in the supplemental pay provided by local levies to his calculations, Liias is misrepresenting teachers’ pay. According to the Washington Policy Center, “the average statewide salary for teachers is $62,377 for a ten-month year, including a average of $9,800 in supplemental pay provided by local levies.” Comparing that to the median household income in Washington of $58,000 for a twelve-month year paints a very different picture than the one Liias presented.
The Washington Policy Center wraps up the math lesson by pointing out that state taxpayers are already providing “an extra $3 billion in tax revenue over the next two years.” That will give school districts a “record level of funding” from the state with which Liias “could increase pay for starting teachers substantially, without raising people’s taxes.”
Enact the income tax, and remove the education funding from property taxes, take the library funding off too.
Just No to more Taxs. Time for a flat tax across the board. Don’t play into their hands when it comes to different types of taxs. A this for that solutition without overall change doesn’t change anything.
I have a feeling this is an “in addition to” tax, No kids and $600 of my property tax is going to the school district, and $200 goes to the library system, I don’t need to support anyone else’s kids, or a teacher any more than I already do.
It’s always an addition. When in your lifetime has your overall cost of living ever gone down? I’m guessing never.
Not necessarily an addition, an increase, but that doesn’t have anything to do with creating a tax to go along with another tax that does the same thing. I’m much more in favor of an income tax so everyone can support the school system as long as it’s taken off property taxes, childless property owners shouldn’t be paying such a high percentage to the school system, specially when schools in rural areas forbid any maintenance so the buildings will collapse and they get whole new facilities, they did that in E. Lewis county.
Problem is the old saying from the Democratic Party, “You are paying for your education, not your child’s”, it’ll never end. Tax & Spend is the liberal mantra. Cut & Balance is not in their dictionary.
The problem with the voters of other parts of the state that con’t commute to other states is they don’t see beyond their own city limits. If there isn’ta reasonable allowance for those who work ioutsid e washinton it won’t be an equitable tax at all and don’t kid yourself, If Oregon can tax those of us that live outside their state and work there I’ll not be surprised if Washington tries to pull the same thing.
I hate to say it be (as a conservative teacher) you’re a lil off base…
Two things…what’s happened in a lot of cases is that Districts drop their level of contribution to health plan and then (as a result of mandates now) the teacher’s salary picks up the difference.
Also the stipends that you reference…virtually non-existent at the middle and high school levels.
I know a teacher who left teaching and went into state government and immediatley saw a $15,000 pay increase…
middle and elementary levels*
Then everyone needs to get a gov’mint job…oh…wait…we’re trying that already…
If you’re in the teaching game to make money, then it’s time to get an education in a different line of work. Just saying
“Never vote for an income tax in this state because they’ll never stop there” spoken by my grandfather in 1972 & remembered as if it were yesterday.
Its amazing how misrepresented the truth is in the United States of America.
All I can say is cry me a river. A military pilot who has gone through their 4 years of college, ocs, and flight school gets paid less to start a commuter pilot fouryears of school, flight school and then getting flight time gets paid way less. Screw you ripoff artists.
I remember my friends in college working through the teaching degrees making posters. The rest of us were learning math, science, business etc.
That’s why we get paid more. And we built it.
And who negotiates disparate pay scales where beginner teachers earn so little? Ah yes, the Washington Education Association. Who profits from these low beginning salaries, WEA representatives. Who is one of the biggest donors to the Democrats each election cycle – WEA.
I wonder if anyone has considered the question about the southwest Washington residents that go to work in Oregon because there are too many Tax and Spend butt heads already squeezing employers to death. Will we pay income tax in Washington because we live here and in Oregon because we already have to pay their (third highest in the country )State income tax as well??? Let me dispel the myth that we get it all; back. WE DON”T! We never do. My solution will be quite simple really, I rent so I can move very easily. OOOps, there went whatever you could have gotten form me. Multiply that times how many other workers will do the same thing.Will you make it up by Oregonians who work in Vancouver and live in Portland??? Probably not since fewer Oregonians work over here than Washingtonians who work over there. I’d suggest the legislators who are considering this tho think about what they are thinking about.
I’m wondering why there is a discussion of increasing teacher salaries at all. What have they done to demonstrate that their salaries ought to be increased? All discussions about poor poverty-stricken teachers are WEA propaganda until proven otherwise.