MD Teachers Work 2nd Jobs, Spend Own Money In Schools: Poll

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A survey of Maryland educators finds that many educators work second jobs, spend their own money on school supplies, and run up personal debt just to make ends meet. The Maryland State Education Association commissioned the survey of 800 public school employees who are members of the union.

Poll findings include:

• In the last year, 91 percent of the state's teachers paid for school supplies out of their own pocket.
• In the last year, 41 percent of those surveyed held a second job to make ends meet. Among educators under 30 years old, 61 percent worked a second job in the last year. Forty-eight percent of educators of color worked a second job in the last year.
• Debt is a problem for many educators; 34 percent have run up personal debt to make ends meet over the last year and 37 percent have student debt. Among educators under 50 years old, 49 percent have student debt. Among educators of color of all ages, 51 percent have student debt.

“Far too many educators are struggling to make ends meet. It’s clear that Maryland needs to do more for our teachers and school staff,” said Baltimore County elementary teacher and MSEA President Cheryl Bost in a news release. “Educators devote their lives to making a difference for every single child in their community, yet as a state we have allowed educators to become undervalued. The Kirwan Commission, legislators, and local officials must address this problem head-on so we can recruit and retain the talented and dedicated educators our kids need and deserve.”

Maryland teachers fare better than many of their counterparts in pay and benefits. According to the National Education Association, Maryland has the eighth highest average salary for teachersin the country at $66,456 in 2016. The average salary increased 1.5 percent in 2016 from the year before, one of the largest increases in the country.

The NEA's research shows that the average teacher salary around the country is $58,353.

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The teachers union survey also found that:

• 71 percent of educators agree with the statement “inadequate staffing levels make it hard to keep my head above water during the school day.”
• 69 percent of educators agree with the statement “my school does not have the funding we need to help every student be successful.”
• 62 percent of educators agree with the statement “my salary makes it hard for my family to make ends meet.”

The Kirwan Commission is developing final recommendations to address the $2.9 billion in annual underfunding of Maryland’s public schools identified by an independent analysis overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The commission’s recommendations will be taken up by the 2019 General Assembly with the expectation that the state will revise its school funding formula for the first time in nearly two decades.

Research has found that Maryland teachers make 84 cents on the dollar compared to other professions requiring similar education, and that more than 24,000 education support professionals—like paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, and custodians—do not make a living wage in Maryland, the union says.

For the full poll memo, click here. The poll was conducted by GBA Strategies on behalf of the Maryland State Education Association. The survey of 800 public school employees who are members of MSEA was conducted July 17-22, 2018 and reached respondents on both landlines and cell phones. The survey results carry a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval.

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