Teacher Salaries Become a Bipartisan Cause: Low Pay ‘A Major Crisis in Education’
Having met and fallen in love through their careers as special education teachers, Natalia Sandoval and her husband tried to make it work as long as they could. But after a while, they could no longer get by on two teacher salaries while raising two sons in Hawaii, not to mention paying back the student loan debt they’d accumulated so they could train to work with students with disabilities.
Shortly before the pandemic, Sandoval’s husband Joseph traded in the career he loved for one that would keep their family afloat: as a worker on the docks. It helps pay the bills and may even allow them to buy a house one day, but it’s hardly as rewarding, said Sandoval, who knew from an early age growing up on Oahu that she wanted to be a teacher, specifically in special education.
“I stay because I really enjoy working with the kids. … And I like supporting the families more than anything because it's a very difficult world to navigate,” Sandoval said.
But veteran teachers like her and Joseph are often forced to decide whether the job is worth the sacrifices. “We're just surviving, not thriving.”
Read the full article in USA Today.
Stay in the Know
Sign up for updates on our latest research, insights, and high-impact work.
"*" indicates required fields
Imali Ariyarathne, seventh-grade teacher at Langston Hughes Academy, introduces her students to the captivating world of science.
About TNTP
TNTP is the nation’s leading research, policy, and consulting organization dedicated to transforming America’s public education system, so that every generation thrives.
Today, we work side-by-side with educators, system leaders, and communities across 39 states and over 6,000 districts nationwide to reach ambitious goals for student success.
Yet the possibilities we imagine push far beyond the walls of school and the education field alone. We are catalyzing a movement across sectors to create multiple pathways for young people to achieve academic, economic, and social mobility.