It’s no secret that many teachers make barely enough to live comfortably, and sometimes, not enough to make ends meet.
According to the National Educator Association, Missouri ranks 50th in the U.S. for average starting teacher salary, at a disappointing rate of $36,829.
Missouri also scores 47th out of the 50 states for the average teacher salary at $53,999. This may seem like a lot to some, but the biggest thing to take into consideration is that the minimum living wage in Missouri is $56,843. Many teachers here at Liberty work two jobs to support themselves.
Sean Liston is an English and Special Education teacher who also owns his own bartending business that he’s owned for about 4 years, with 15 years of bartender experience.
When asked why he needs to work this job, Liston shares what his opinion is.
“Education doesn’t necessarily pay a ton, so it helps pay the bills and such,” Liston said.
Brett Hendricks, a Spanish teacher, also works a second job. Mr. Hendricks works at BC’s kitchen in the Meadows as a server. At this job, he waits tables, takes orders, and brings food and drinks. Hendricks is a server two nights a week during the school year, and four nights a week during the summer.
“I need work two jobs to be able to pay the bills and for travel money.” Hendricks said.
When asked why they think teachers are underpaid, Liston and Hendricks had similar answers.
Both believed it was because teachers were considered government employees, and so their income came from taxes. For teachers to be paid more, taxes either have to be increased or funds from somewhere else have to be moved to education. Because most people don’t wish for taxes to be raised, and the government doesn’t wish to move any funds, education is still underfunded.
There have been moves to change this, but ultimately, they made things just a little less miserable for these teachers. In May of this year, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed a bill to raise the minimum teacher salary from $25,000 to $40,000. While it’s a big increase, $40,000 is still very low and for many families is not enough to live with.
