Melody Khorshidpanah is working crazy, 17-hour days. She got her master's degree in education leadership while teaching and bar tending. She sent her high-school English students feedback from the computer at the bar and graded assignments in her doorway between classes at school. She have four hours of sleep. She didn't complain. It was necessary, she needed to pay for her student loans, her car, her other bills.
Many educators have multiple sources of income, whether during the school year or the summer months. The reality and relatively low pay for teachers in Arizona, has pushed the education funding to the top of many people's agendas for helping to improve the state's schools.
Exactly how many teachers hold second jobs, because such data does not appear to exist. Anecdotal evidence abounds. Misty C. Arthur, executive director of the Arizona Federation of Teachers, said that it's extremely common for educators to have multiple sources of income.
A majority of the teachers have second jobs, ranging from teaching summer school to picking up shifts at Target during the school year. It's a constant topic of conversation among educators. "They don't make a livable wage," Arthur said. "In order for them to make ends meet, they have to supplement their income by taking a second job."
Arizona is the worst in the nation in terms of paying its teachers; the state ranks 50th in elementary teacher’s salary. The lowest-paid teachers, likely newcomers with less experience, are making 9 percent less than the national average. The highest-paid ones, often veteran teachers, are making 28 percent less, according to the Morrison Institute at Arizona State University.
Rep. Jay Lawrence, R-Scottsdale, had said that poor teacher pay is not the Legislature's fault. Local school boards deserve the blame, he said, as they determine the teacher salaries from the money they receive from the state.
House Majority Leader John Allen, R-Phoenix, said that not all workers with second jobs are struggling. "They want to increase their lifestyles. They want to improve themselves. They want to pay for a boat," Allen said during a debate at the Legislature this spring.
After that Allen has released an apology after his speech saying he "would never intentionally belittle those that work hard and struggle to make their lives better" and described his comments as "one sentence out of context."
By Premji
