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I’m a teacher in PA with 17 years experience. That brings me to the top of the pay scale, making 90k. I think the pay is fair, although I think starting salaries need to increase. I struggled when I first started. Here are the problems in my opinion:

1. There is no portability in pay. I would like to move districts, to be closer to my aging parents. However, that would mean starting over on no higher then step three of a new district’s pay scale. No district is going to higher me and pay me for my experience. Why would a young person want to be locked into that for 30 years?

2. Better support for newer teachers. I have seen too many young teacher come in, get the worst teaching assignments with the most out of control kids and get no support from admin

3. The burden of standardized testing on math and language arts teachers in particular is ridiculous. The level of rigor is legit hard and developmentally inappropriate. I teach 7th grade, the amount of in-depth analysis required requires background knowledge and life experience that my 12 year olds don’t have.

4. finally this is probably the biggest one for me. I don’t get treated like a professional. Teachers are required to obtain their masters degree in order to move to the instructional to certificate in Pennsylvania, but we are treated like professional people that whole college degrees. Everything we do a second-guessed. First and second-guessed by children in our classroom. I have students that argue with me about everything including other students names in the class. I have students to talk about Andrew Tate, and how awesome he is and I have to sit there and listen to it. And that’s a direct product of their parents. They feel comfortable questioning us disobeying us because their parents feel comfortable questioning everything that we do. No one’s child is ever wrong. No one’s child ever lies. No one’s child could ever possibly need discipline from the teacher. And then this carries over into administration. I spent 90 minutes a day with my students and some of them, the ones that I have in homeroom close to three hours. However, I’m not even given the barest information about struggles with that child might be going through. If somethings happening at home, they don’t tell me they keep it on a need to know basis and apparently hi the adults in the building that spends the most time with that child doesn’t need to know. And I’m talking about serious issues like self harm, suicide ideation, drugs, and alcohol. I should at least know about these things so I can look out for that student while they’re in my care, but instead, I’m treated like an untrustworthy person that can’t be given this information because I might go blab it to the rest of the neighborhood. Honestly, teaching is insulting. Next week I get evaluated by my principal, who has never taught a day in his life-he was a guidance counselor.

But look at days off per year. Conservatively, teachers get 20% more.

When politicians demonize the profession, HBG regulations hamstring admin from allowing discipline to occur, the lack of quality pay and the helicopter nature of parents, no wonder ppl don't want to teach. I certainly wouldn't.

That easy get the politicians to stop acting like ass hole And pay then and more protect them and the kids

More charter schools. They do more with less than traditional public schools. Instead of complaining that e very charter school student taxes X dollars from the district, say “wow, with only X dollars they have happier parents and teachers and higher test scores. We should have a charter in our district. And don’t use that tired excuse about cherry picking. I sub in a charter school and there are IEPs in every class.

Courses completely unrelated to your major. I studied physics...I had to take creative writing courses, history of religion, a film studies course, etc. Being a "well-rounded" student isn't worth it for the time and incredible financial commitment.

Dark horse in lancaster that’s a hand poke artist.

Pay them. Make students go through metal detectors. Lock the doors after students arrive in the morning and screen anyone coming after that time.

Pit-bull advocates always stress that they are complete sweethearts and I have met many pit-bulls that are sweet. I think the problem is that every dog breed has a subset of animals that bite. Even if the subset for pit-bulls is the exact same percentage as the subset for Yorkshire Terriers the damage inflicted by one pit-bull bite is likely much more than one bite from a Yorkie. Pit-bull owners do the breed no favor by ignoring the fact that some pit-bulls do bite. And before you jump on me for this observation I just want to say that I was the owner of a German Shepherd for 11 years. While my GSD showed no signs of aggression I was always mindful that others could be afraid of him.

I’m a welder with a 4 year degree. I’d have to go back for more college courses to become a welding instructor. The starting salary for vocational teachers in my part of PA is less than half of what I am making as a welder. And none of my co workers make tick toks at work.

I know many teachers who retired early because they were tired of not being able to teach anymore. State has too much involvement. Everything is about money. Yadayada.

Don't know much about Johnstown, but, desirable as it might be, I can't imagine Philadelphians clamoring to move there. It's a considerable distance, for starters. Philadelphia has public housing of its own, I understand.

I know. I wish newspapers would act more responsibly when writing their article titles. Many times I have discovered that a title totally misrepresents what actually happened. And I know that a lot of people (me included sometimes) only read the title.

Nothing, because nobody wants to do anything about it, and so they won't because the people who are in power are the ones benefiting from the current system

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If the state was actually remotely serious about it?

- combine districts, there is no reason for the insane overhead of multiple districts everywhere.

- eliminate parents and local school boards being responsible for anything because they are NEVER right

- Stop allowing teachers to buy their own school supplies,

- Implement free or massively reduced state school tuition but you must stay in state to teach for X years,

- Eliminate the ongoing education requirements except for in your exact course of study.

- Fix the stupid bullshit Cyber schools getting funding

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Oh and the ones people won't like

- eliminate pensions entirely from the entire state,

- year round school

- all day kindergarten

- fully tax payer funded pre-k programs state wide

- stop adjunct professors from teaching any course over a 101 level unless no suitable prof can be found (WITH PROOF of search), and Adjuncts get paid the same as professors.

- stop underpaying teachers aid, subs, etc

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PA could absolutely do everything... they just won't

>Teachers get ~3 months off during the summer, a week off for spring break, almost a month off for winter break, almost a week for Thanksgiving, along with all other federal holidays. That's almost 4.5 months off work per year.

Dogshit comment. Most teachers are not free of their professional responsibilities when school is not in session. Keeping the certification requires continuing education and professional development. A good number of teachers act as club and class advisors, supervise School Play practice, oversee marching band, and coach the athletic teams. The classroom itself requires attention during breaks. Indeed, many teachers are getting classrooms ready for the new school year while you are still in your chaise lounge in your bikini sipping a fresh latte.

Pay them more than burger flippers and ditch diggers.

Maybe a quick google search would’ve saved you and helped prevent an ignorant take which ignores the details of the law.

Unconstitutional Gun-Free School Zones Act

Ballotpedia

>Vote in school board elections (and really all elections) to elect pro-education candidates-

A key part of the equation. I know of a district where 5 seats are up for election, but only 4 turned in petitions. 2 of those are pro-education; the other 2 are hand-picked by an anti-public school lobbyist.

The town where Lebanon Bologna is made is high in resources and the district does pretty well. But the trumpkins are tying to upset that apple cart with their "no new taxes" pledge.

>property taxes are the worst way to fund schools

Folks always focus on property taxes but property taxes only provide some of the revenue stream. Let's also look at the earned income tax. Places where the average household income is above $100k gain quite a bit in collected EIT whereas places where the average household income is 50k or less end up having to do without. Maybe give less state aid to the better off places and give more to those places with more resources?

So you think people don't know? They didn't go to school themselves and experience no school during the summer for themselves? The reality is that people know what a teachers schedule looks like, generally speaking, and they still don't want to get into education. Why? It's. Not. Worth. It. It's funny how people don't use the same reasoning when it comes to higher salaries for other occupations. Why do CEOs have to be paid so much? Because we have to pay that much to attract the best and the brightest, we're told. Oh really? But somehow higher salaries for teachers in order to attract people to the profession has to be "justified"? Frankly, your dismissal of the work that teachers do both in and out of the regular school year is insulting. Pay is not the only reason people don't get into teaching, but it's absolutely not helping.

When many districts start at 42k, 60k is a bit much. I know things stretched out a bit thanks to the trump virus, but let's be real here.

Because people cannot detect sarcasm or facetious comments. 🤷🏿‍♂️

Doesn't matter. I think the entire situation is tragic.

Look for a rental agent, rather than a realtor. Realtors in Pennsylvania mostly focus on sales, rather than rental. Some act as rental agents as well, but you may be limiting your results by just seeking realtors. Property management companies also broker rentals, but are not necessarily realtors.