On December 10th, 2024, Skyline teachers gathered outside in freezing weather and snow, in hopes of gaining the attention and support of the public. One particular teacher’s sign “Ask me about my second job” sparked new questions. The Skyline Post sent out a survey to find out.
Many Skyline teachers responded with concerns about how difficult it is to live off their teaching salary. Staff cannot afford the recent 2024-25 healthcare increase, AAPS salaries have not kept pace with the rate of inflation or salaries in local areas outside of AAPS, classes are being cut and combined. (Read The Skyline Post’s extensive coverage here: Staff Actions, Budget Cuts Affect Skyline’s Courses, and Health Care Pay Cut and how it will affect the learning environment.)
Ann Arbor Public Schools staff cannot continue to work here unless compensated fairly for their work.
Teachers all over the district are distraught and many are looking for jobs outside of AAPS. They are fighting to be fairly compensated for the immense amount of work they put into the schools everyday. There have been informational pickets, protests, meetings, and more to get the attention of the public and support of the families in Ann Arbor.
Many Skyline teachers report that they work education-related second jobs. “I tutor online after school and on weekends (SAT, ACT, college essays),” says English teacher Carina Sietz. “I grade AP essays for College Board, and I teach dance over the summer.”
Learning Center teacher Alaina Feliks “usually pick[s] up side jobs throughout the year, often working with the National Writing Project on grant-funded programs.”
English teacher Andrea McMurray works a second job here at Skyline. “I work my planning period also running the testing center and I am working with the Michigan Assessment Cadre (through the Michigan Department of Education) writing and piloting competency based performance assessments.”
School librarian Carolyn Hill “resell[s] clothes on Poshmark for a little extra income. The only reason I don’t work an actual, real second or third job is that my husband does the extra jobs and I take care of the kids.”
Others, like math teacher Mike Lovelace, coach. “I have always liked Coaching and so getting extra income doing something I enjoy is a bonus. Coaches do not make much per hour when it is broken down to what we do all year long. It would be much more financially beneficial to do a higher paying second job if more money was the main factor.”
Ceramics teacher Candace Ottaviano notes that “Sadly, many teachers cannot focus energy on our primary jobs because we are so overworked and underpaid. Teaching is not the kind of job you can just walk away from. There is grading, and planning and the hours of work that go unpaid as it is, and when you add on another job, we become ineffective versions of ourselves”
Here is what Skyline can do:
Everyone needs to ask AAPS to fix what they broke. Teachers within the district voluntarily took a pay freeze over a decade ago to bail the board out. They are now asking they return the favor and give teachers and staff the compensation they deserve.
Parents, show your support by attending school board meetings. Write letters to the Board expressing concern and showing them that we want to make a difference. Show up to informational pickets and protests. Leave public commentary for the Board to see in support of increased teacher compensation. Put pressure on the Board to help teachers be able to live without taking on second or third jobs.
Students, express gratitude towards your teachers who give so much for so little. The more pressure put on those in charge, the quicker the results will be: write letters to the Board, spread the word, attend school board meetings if you can, speak up at the meetings, or submit public commentary. The student body cannot remain uninvolved and silent. Our teachers are struggling against the board; it’s time to be aware and speak up. We need our teachers for support, letters of recommendation, finding our passions, teaching electives, APs, clubs, and so much more.
School Board, please tell us: what is your plan if the teachers decide they’ve had enough and go elsewhere? The Skyline Post is demanding transparency and accountability. The Board needs to share updates, pay scale comparisons, and more easily accessible information in order for students and families to be aware of what the staff is fighting for, so they can offer support wherever needed. It is not the teachers’ job to communicate to their students what the board’s decisions are; it may be uncomfortable for them to be so vulnerable. Transparency from the Board needs to be the standard, especially when these decisions affect students.
School Board, please understand that teachers are needed in more ways than the teaching expectation. Without teachers there are no doctors, vets, scientists, lawyers, engineers, journalists; there is nothing. Teachers are the vessel to finding passion. With the insufficient pay coming the teachers’ way, AAPS may lose even more experienced and loved teachers to retirement and other districts that pay more.
By losing valued teachers, the quality of education will decrease. If the quality of education within AAPS isn’t high, enrollment will likely decline and AAPS will plummet. AAPS has outstanding teachers and educators. Students and families need to be made aware of their situation in order to support where support is needed.
With the recent Tentative Agreement for this school year’s compensation, the new school board has already made an increase in wages. This signifies a hopeful period for our teachers and educators to come.
With negotiations coming up in February and March, there is an opportunity for the new board to make things even better for everyone in AAPS. Fix what was broken, pay teachers enough to keep up with the rising inflation across the nation. Communicate your plans for a better school environment with students and families.
Supportive teachers want to be somewhere they feel supported.
Help our teachers stay.
