A Public School Teacher Shared Her Salary Online, Sparking Widespread Reaction
Teacher strikes have repeatedly occurred across the nation, driven by educators’ calls for higher wages. Recently, one teacher took a bold step in this ongoing discussion by sharing her pay stub publicly, sparking considerable attention.
Elisabeth Coate Milich, an Arizona teacher, chose to reveal her salary on social media to highlight the disparity in teacher pay. In a society where financial details are often kept private, Milich’s decision was both unusual and impactful. She aimed to illustrate the gap between the cost of becoming a teacher and the wages teachers actually receive.
Despite extensive training and education, Milich’s annual salary increase was a modest $131, moving from $35,490 to $35,621, as reported by TODAY. Her reaction was one of disbelief. “I laughed when I compared the old and new figures,” she wrote. “It’s surprising to see this amount in black and white, especially given the college degree required. While I love teaching, this salary is not sufficient to live on.”
Currently a second-grade teacher at Whispering Wind Academy in Phoenix, Milich has years of experience in education. She initially hesitated to share her paycheck but ultimately felt it was important to reveal the reality of teaching salaries in her state. Although Arizona teachers, on average, earn $47,218, this figure is still below the national average of $58,353, according to the National Education Association.
Milich’s post highlighted that many teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies and are still managing student loan debt years after graduation. Her own situation is somewhat stabilized by her husband’s income, but she noted that many of her colleagues juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet. “I know teachers who work additional jobs, like waiting tables, just to get by,” she explained. “For a single person, it’s nearly impossible to sustain oneself on a teacher’s salary.”
The financial challenges in teaching are underscored by a 2017 study from Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, which labeled the state’s teacher recruitment and retention crisis as severe. The study revealed that 42% of teachers hired in 2013 left the profession within three years, with Arizona’s elementary teachers being among the lowest paid in the country.