How To Support Our Educators: An Insider's Perspective: Letter

My husband, Scott, and I were both born and raised in Melrose and are proud products of the Melrose Public Schools. We have owned a home here in Melrose since 1999 and our 2 children have attended the Melrose Public Schools as well. I have also had the privilege of teaching at the best school in Melrose, the Hoover Elementary School, for the last 20 years.

It is time to set up a pay scale that not only attracts but retains quality educators, compensating those loyal and dedicated to our Melrose families. Currently, Melrose teacher pay ranks in the bottom 12% of our state and is literally second to last of districts in our region. As a taxpayer, who prides herself on living in the “number 1 zip code”, as a taxpayer who has seen my property value greatly increase, and as a taxpayer who has witnessed neighboring houses selling sight unseen for over asking price, I am embarrassed by the value we have placed on our educators. As an educator, it is hard not to see such low pay in such a sought-after city as a slap in the face.

My teaching salary is about $79,000 here in Melrose. I have been teaching here for 20 years and am at the top of the Melrose pay scale. I have another 17 years to teach with no higher step to reach. When my brand-new colleagues hear this, I can’t blame them for choosing their own families over our Melrose families. I can’t blame them for moving on.

Right before the start of this school year, 3 quality teachers left my small school for no other reason than that they will be paid upwards of $20,000 more per year for doing less work. That’s right, less work in neighboring towns. The standards, expectations, and initiatives here in Melrose are models for the state and far exceed what our neighboring districts offer their students. We are proudly leading the charge in so many areas, yet we are losing the battle on teacher pay and retention. As a taxpayer, this doesn’t make sense. As an educator, it doesn’t seem right.

In Melrose we continue to train new teachers year after year with our quality professional development and mentoring programs and then we watch, acting shocked and surprised when other districts scoop them up and benefit from our hard work. We, in Melrose, need to start paying our teachers competitively so that we can keep that expertise here! As a taxpayer, this seems like a much better return on our investment. As an educator, I look forward to working in a school with a consistent faculty, one that can build lasting relationships with Melrose families.

Joellen Beaudet

Melrose, MA