It isn’t uncommon for Phoenix educators to hold a second job to supplement their incomes and earn a comparable amount to other college graduates, according to two teachers.
Teachers in Arizona face the largest the wage gap between them and other college graduates, according to a 2017 study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). On average, workers in fields that require similar levels of college education such as teaching earn nearly 19 percent more than public school teachers in the United States. Meanwhile, Arizona educators are out-paid by comparable professionals by a difference of over 36 percent.
Cecily Frutos, a teacher at the Central High School in Phoenix, is one of the many teachers throughout the state who have to deal with a small salary. Frutos works part-time as a server in addition to her full-time teaching profession.
“I don’t have enough time to sit or go out with my family,” she said. “There’re weeks, sometimes months, that I don’t see my mom or dad. I don’t have any kids and I’m not married currently, but if I was, it would intervene with my life. If I didn’t have a second job, I would be living paycheck to paycheck.”
Joseph Fuentes, a third-grade teacher at Garfield Elementary School, also compensates for a low salary by working at a second job. Despite having two incomes, Fuentes said he still has to make tough decisions when it comes to living.
“You just have to make big choices,” he said. “For example, I can’t even afford a house. That’s not an option right now.”
Earlier this year, organizations like #RedforEd organized protests and walkouts throughout the state to bring attention to education funding. One of the biggest issues at the heart of the strikes was salaries for teachers.
Some teachers provide more than education for their students, according to Frutos.
“I have had to take the place of my students’ parents because they don’t have anyone to go to talk about what’s happening to them,” she said. “In a way that a doctor or nurse helps people physically, I’m trying to help them survive and have a better life and future.”
Fuentes said he chose to be a teacher because he hopes to inspire his students.
“Growing up, teachers were the ones who had the biggest impact on my life without my parents,” he said. “I wanted to do the same for others.”
Communications Director Craig Pletenik for the Phoenix Union High School District said he believes teaching is a noble profession and that their work is “not only important for the present but also for the future.”
Both teachers agreed that putting more money into education will benefit students as well as educators.
“If we don’t put more money in education, we will have a society that has people who are not prepared for college or for life in general,” Frutos said.
“They expect us to continue our education and be there for the kids,” Fuentes said. “But I think teachers can’t support their kids if they’re financially stressed or looking for other options to support their income. I think we should be paid for our degree, and what we get isn’t that.”
As salaries grow smaller, so does the population of teachers. Many people do not initially choose to teach as a career, and there is a shortage of people joining the profession.
Pletenik said he hopes public education and teachers gain the respect they deserve.
“We’re going to have to pay our teachers more and get younger people more into education,” he said. “My hope is that public education becomes a top priority, not only in Arizona but across the country.”
Contact the reporter at ldiethel@asu.edu
Lisa Diethelm is the Politics editor for the Downtown Devil while she studies at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in downtown Phoenix. She grew up in California and started her journalism career in high school.
