The poll surveyed 800 Maryland educators and found that many are struggling to make ends meet.
More than 40 percent of Maryland teachers have second jobs, according to a survey by the Maryland State Education Association.
The survey also found that 91 percent of teachers bought school supplies out-of-pocket within the last year.
The survey was conducted in July 2018 by independent research organization GBA Strategies on behalf of the Maryland State Education Association, who published its findings this week.
Among the 800 Maryland educators polled, 41 percent said they work second jobs. For some demographics, that number was even higher. Sixty-one percent of teachers under the age of 30 and almost 50 percent of minority teachers said they work second jobs. This is more than twice the 18 percent national average of teachers who work second jobs.
Additionally, 34 percent of educators said they have run up personal debt to make ends meet.
The project is part of the Kirwan Commission's plan to research how underfunded schools impact teachers. The Commission, in tandem with the Maryland State Department of Education, will present recommendations for addressing underfunding to the Maryland General Assembly next year.
Baltimore elementary school teacher and MSEA President Cheryl Bost said she found the results frustrating, but not surprising.
"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 Bost.
"Educators devote their lives to making a difference for every single child in their community," she said. "...As a state, we have allowed educators to become undervalued."
Courtesy of Lilli Carré/NPR
As it stands, two out of five Maryland teachers will swap their apple-pinned blouses for janitor uniforms or construction hats once the bell rings.
Joshua Webster, a teacher at Fort Smallwood Elementary School in Pasadena, Maryland, said he's worked multiple jobs over his 21-year career as a STEM teacher. Right now he works seven days a week.
“I have a small lawn care business and work construction jobs to pay bills, and so our family can do things that normal people do, like go on vacation,” Mr. Webster told the Baltimore Sun.
Another educator, 28-year-old elementary school teacher Stephanie Lowe, said she supplements her teacher salary by working as a tutor and a Lyft driver.
“I went to school for this to be my career,” Lowe said, “not so I could work three jobs just to be able to afford to go the doctor."
Courtesy of SDAily
Maryland teachers make 84 cents on the dollar compared to other professions requiring similar education. And while the cost of living, higher education, and particularly the cost of health insurance have skyrocketed in the past few decades, teacher wages remain stagnant.
The Kiwan Commission and the Maryland State Education Association will recommend to the General Assembly that the state update its school funding formula for the first time in two decades.
In November, Maryland residents will get to vote on an amendment to the state constitution which would add $500 million permanently allocated to education. The amendment, called the Fix the Fund Act, will appear as Question One on your November ballot. Legislators voted yes to the new policy, but as a constitutional amendment, it still has to pass with a statewide vote.
Are you a teacher, or do you know a teacher impacted by this? Let us know in the comments.
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