2B ܂ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 ܂ APPEAL TRIBUNE
Report: Ore. teachers not paid enough
Natalie Pate
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon Teacher Pay
Oregon teachers earn less than pri-
vate sector workers with similar levels
of education and experience, even
when accounting for public employee
benefits and summer vacation, accord-
ing to a report released Sept. 18.
The Oregon Center for Public Policy
found public school teachers earn 78
cents for every dollar earned by a com-
parable private sector worker.
When state benefits — such as
health insurance and retirement — are
factored in, educators still earn 9 per-
cent less in weekly compensation, or 91
cents for every dollar a private sector
worker earns.
These numbers are based on aver-
age weekly wages instead of annual
wages to account for "so-called 'sum-
mers off,' " though the report acknowl-
edges many teachers work when
school is out.
The center is a nonpartisan, non-
profit institute that researches budget,
tax and economic issues. It analyzed
data from the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics, Oregon Department of Education
and the American Community Survey
between 2012 and 2016.
"Oregon teachers deserve a raise,"
Daniel Hauser, a policy analyst for the
center, said in a statement. "Few pro-
fessions are more vital to the well-be-
ing of children and communities than
teachers, and yet Oregon is not com-
pensating them adequately."
One reason for the disparity could be
the gender demographics of the profes-
sion, according to the report.
In Oregon, seven out of 10 public
school teachers are women compared
to the four out of 10 private sector work-
ers.
Officials from the center said the pay
gap between professions may be a re-
sult of female-dominated careers being
devalued and inherently paid less.
A national comparison
The gap between public school
teachers and private sector workers is
78 cents for every $1
Oregon teachers make 78 cents for every $1 earned by a comparable private
sector worker in Oregon.
91 cents for every $1
When PERS, bene ts are factored in, teachers make 91 cents for every $1.
71 percent
71 percent of Oregon's public school teachers are women. In Oregon's private sector, 40
percent are women.
Source: Oregon Center for Public Policy
mirrored on the national level and has
grown more severe in recent decades.
In 1996, the average weekly wages of
teachers at the national level were 4
percent less than private sector work-
ers, according to the Oregon report. By
2015, the national gap grew to 19 per-
cent.
And while Oregon's starting salary
for teachers isn't far from the national
average, it does come up short.
According to the National Education
Association, the national average for a
starting teaching salary in 2016-17 was
$38,617. In the same year, Oregon's
starting teachers averaged $35,534.
New Jersey and the District of Co-
lumbia have the highest starting sala-
ries at more than $51,000. Montana
and Oklahoma have the lowest, start-
ing at $30,036 and $31,919, respective-
ly.
The Oregon report concluded teach-
er compensation is directly related to
schools being able to hire "high-quali-
ty" educators and retain them.
Not only does the impact the lives of
Oregon's educators, but according to
the report, retaining high quality teach-
ers helps students reach higher levels
of academic achievement and, in turn,
leads to higher earnings over their life-
times — "a benefit for them and the
overall economy."
It's not just pay
Educators nationwide have been go-
ing on strike over the last year to de-
mand adequate pay.
Most recently, teachers from 14
school districts across the state of
Washington went on strike this fall over
contract disputes stemming from an
influx of cash districts had received
from the state.
After three weeks of teacher strikes,
educators received higher pay raises
and students were all back in school as
of Sept. 17.
In Oregon, the most recent report by
the state's Quality Education Model es-
timated Oregon is short about $2 bil-
lion per biennium of what it needs to
maintain and improve schools.
But Mindy Merritt, president of the
Salem-Keizer Education Association,
told the Statesman Journal she didn't
think local members were close to
striking over pay.
What Merritt sees most is teachers
leaving the district or profession when
they don't feel heard or valued and they
feel burned out.
"They feel like they're drowning,
fighting on their own," she said. "They
know we can do better as a district ... as
a community."
In Salem-Keizer Public Schools, the
starting teaching salary for someone
with a Bachelor's degree is $40,297.
That number increases to $46,748 if
they have a Master's degree.
Salem-Keizer Public School Super-
intendent Christy Perry was not avail-
able for comment Monday afternoon.
Pay is also affected by hours of pro-
fessional development and experience
to, ideally, help the individual earn
more money the more experience they
have.
But Merritt said teachers are fre-
quently faced with difficult decisions —
are they paid enough to sustain a 30-
year career and do they feel valued and
heard?
They have to decide if earning a
master's to be a more viable candidate
will outweigh the cost of increased stu-
dent loans.
She also said teachers are, in some
ways, locked into one district once they
start since they may take a pay cut
moving to another district later in their
careers.
Merritt said Salem-Keizer is making
improvements in filling positions to
eliminate a teacher shortage that has
continued since the Great Recession.
"Are teachers paid enough? Abso-
lutely not. Are support staff paid
enough? Absolutely not," she said. "Im-
proving salaries and benefits will help,
but that's not everything."
To read the full report, or for more in-
formation,
go
to
https://www.ocpp.org/ or call 971-279-
4732.
Contact reporter Natalie Pate at
npate@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-
399-6745 or follow her on Twitter
@Nataliempate
or
Facebook
at
www.Facebook.com/
nataliepatejournalist.
Helping students with cyberbullying
Susanne Eide
Guest Columnist
Oregon Connections Academy
Remember that saying, “sticks and
stones may break my bones but names
will never hurt me”? In today’s digital
world, words can be very painful.
October is National Bullying Preven-
tion Awareness Month, a good time to
talk to children about cyberbullying. As
a virtual school, we promote good digi-
tal citizenship to our students, but we all
share responsibility for a safe respectful
online environment.
The National Crime Prevention
Council says cyberbullying is what hap-
pens “when people use the Internet,
cellphones, or other devices to send or
post text or images intended to hurt or
embarrass another person.”
Cyberbullying happens in many
places including websites, emails, chat
rooms, instant messaging, and social
media platforms such as Snapchat, In-
stagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Cyber threats can involve serious, re-
peated forms of aggression and some-
times illegal behavior. They are often
conducted anonymously, follow the vic-
tim home from school, and invade their
life around the clock.
The impact of online bullying ex-
tends into the real world. Researchers
found a majority of cyberbullied stu-
dents said the experience affected their
ability to learn and feel safe at school.
Twenty-six percent of middle and
high schools have reported weekly inci-
dents of cyberbullying, at school and
away from school, according to the U.S.
Department of Education. Oregon’s
Healthy Teens Survey also shows 11 per-
cent of juniors and 15 percent of eighth-
graders were cyberbullied in the last
month.
Parents can do several things to de-
tect cyberbullying, act if their child is a
victim and prevent it from happening.
What are the warning signs of
cyberbullying?
If you suspect your child is experi-
encing cyberbullying, watch for signs
around the use of their electronic de-
vices.
For example, they might seem ner-
vous after a text or instant message ap-
pears, and secretive about sharing their
online activity. Your child may unex-
pectedly stop using their device(s), or
start spending more time online.
It’s important for parents to be tech-
nologically savvy in order to figure out
what’s going on, but also allow kids to
share their point of view. As an ice-
breaker, bring up the topic of cyberbul-
lying and ask if it’s an issue at your
child’s school.
What should you do if
cyberbullying is occurring?
Tweens and teens facing online bul-
lying are often reluctant to come for-
ward, so encourage them to talk to a
parent, teacher or other trusted adult at
the first sign of trouble.
It’s natural for a child to want to re-
spond to a cyberbully, but urge them not
to retaliate.
Striking back might turn your child
into a bully or give the offender the vir-
tual power they’re seeking. Defuse the
conflict and take rational steps to re-
solve the situation.
Parents want to protect kids by fixing
a problem like digital bullying, but in-
stead slow down and talk to children
about what they’re going through. Don’t
take away devices if something hap-
pens. Demonstrate trust and involve
them in the process. Being heard helps
victims heal and gain resilience.
Evidence of electronic bullying on
computers and phones can usually be
saved or captured. Keeping a record of
dates, times, and other details is helpful
if there’s an investigation.
Most social media sites, tagged pho-
tos, and other services allow users to
block people or report cyberbullying.
Ensure children have secure passwords
and lock their device(s) when not in
use.
Oregon’s school system has strong
BRIEFS
cyberbullying laws, so if your child is be-
ing harassed by a classmate, talk to
school authorities. File a complaint with
the online platform or if the offensive
content involves a potential crime, con-
tact local police.
How can you help prevent
cyberbullying?
Cyber-safe techniques, such as acti-
vating privacy settings on devices or
apps, help reduce a child’s risk of being
cyberbullied. Children shouldn’t give
out personal information, email ad-
dresses or phone numbers online with-
out permission from parents.
Talk openly with your student about
online interactions. Parents can lead by
example, showing children positive
messages they send to others on their
own social media.
It’s also important to teach students
good social media manners. This in-
cludes promoting kindness and pausing
before posting or sending something –
reminding them the message might re-
main online forever.
Technology and social media can be
helpful in your child’s everyday life – es-
pecially staying connected with others.
Parents should offer guidance and
boundaries to help kids take a balanced
approach.
Susanne Eide is an eighth grade Lan-
guage Arts and Social Studies teacher
from Monmouth at Oregon Connections
Academy. For more information on up-
coming events or how to enroll, please
visit: www.OregonConnectionsAcade-
my.com/Events or call (800) 382–6010.
Silver Crest School haunted for
October
Parking fines increase
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Fines for public parking violations on
Silverton streets increased Monday, the
result of council action last spring.
A $10 fine can now be levied against
drivers who allow time to run out on
their parking meters, those who stay too
long in a 2-hour-parking zone, those
who don’t park within the lines or are
more than 12 inches away from the curb,
and those in no-parking areas.
For a vehicle that remains even long-
er in a 2-hour space, second and third
time violations may now generate $25
and $50 fines, respectively. The council
also increased fines for loading zone vi-
olations, large vehicle violations and
late fee charges.
Silver Crest School is hosting a
haunted house every weekend during
the month of October. Haunt the Hills,
advertised as a “frightful haunting ex-
perience,” is open to the public from 7 to
9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday, start-
ing Oct 5. Entrance is $5 per person;
proceeds go to Silver Crest Booster Club.
The school is located outside of town
at 365 Loar Road SE.
Silverton Shindig plays Oct. 6
The seventh annual Silverton Side-
walk Shindig is Saturday, Oct. 6. Solo
musicians and groups will present mu-
sic of all flavors – Irish, classical, ma-
rimba, rock, big band, punk, alternative,
and more – outside and inside down-
town businesses from 11 a.m. until mid-
night. The festival is free and family
friendly.
— Christena Brooks