Teaching in Montana: A Paycheck Tug-of-War

Everyone I talk to who owns a business tells me the same story about how hard it is to find someone to work. There are 8 million jobs open in the country right now, and those are only the ones that the Department of Labor knows about.

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We had a call this morning about the unfairness in the hiring of teachers. The larger school districts are offering more money than the smaller ones, so it makes it more difficult to hire a new teacher at the rural schools. I wish they would calibrate teacher salaries like they do all other state employees. For instance, if you're a starting teacher in Baker or Belgrade, your salary would be the same as in Bozeman or Billings. We do that with all the other state workers. If you are a starting highway patrolman, it doesn't matter if you're based out of Plentywood or Butte; you all make the same amount of money. If you are on the state road crew and plow snow, the starting salary is the same whether you're in Missoula or Glendive.

Many of the teachers at our schools are products of Montana, and many would like to work in their hometown. For economic reasons, they go to the highest bidder. It also makes a difference at the end of their career because of the final salaries and retirement payout. An even playing field with the salaries would help fill the void that so many smaller districts are now facing.

Just a thought... See you tomorrow at 5.