KANSAS CITY, MO — It’s hard for Leslie Vaughn to survive on her salary as teacher.
Vaughn says her after-tax income is less than $40,000.
“ I got paid more as a sub than I do as a teacher,” Vaughn said. ”I’m just worried about keeping my lights on and eating so I can’t even worry about my retirement.”
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Salaried teachers in Missouri are required to give a 14.5% contribution from their paychecks to the public school retirement system, taxes and social security, according to Todd Fuller, spokesman for the Missouri State Teacher's Association.
According to the Public School and Education Employee Retirement System, Missouri has the 44th-largest defined-benefit plan in the country.
Fuller says it's tough for the state's teachers to earn enough money with salaries lagging behind other states.
“We need to get to the point where we do something about putting into statute a starting teacher salary that is not only competitive with surrounding school districts, but also competitive with surrounding states,” Fuller said.
Vaughn is passionate about teachers earning more for their work in classrooms across the state.
“Why can't being a teacher be enough to make living off of?” Vaughn said. "It is a rewarding job and I love teaching. It just really comes down to the tough decisions on do I stay or do I need to go?”
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