While many people believe teachers are greatly underpaid, the compensation is quite substantial. The average teacher's direct cash compensation at my local district is $73,000 — exceeding the average entire household income for San Diego county of $60,103.
That's not the whole picture. Every district employee gets a guaranteed pension that will pay 80-90% of their highest salary every year until they die, eligible beginning at age 55. This retirement is dramatically more generous than Social Security. Teachers also receive $8,800/year in health insurance paid entirely by the district, and work only 181 days per year vs. the typical 245.
An economic analysis reveals that teachers at government schools are overpaid by 52% compared with comparably skilled private sector workers — translating to taxpayers paying an additional $120 billion per year.
--MR
