Better pay for teachers

Here's one way [View as Webpage]( [National Education Association]( [EdAction]( Hi {NAME}, My name is Audra and I am writing to you about a way you can support our lowest-paid teachers and help them get better pay. I became a special education teacher in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula because I wanted to give back to the community that helped my brother, who has significant needs. Growing up, I wanted to be a positive change for kids like him. Plus, it’s a rural area that desperately needs educators. In my first year, which was only a few years ago, I made $30,000. The only reason I am able to stay teaching is because I'm married and we have two incomes. Sadly, I am not alone. So many new teachers are paid depressed wages while owing tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. I know someone who gave a full third of his paycheck to his monthly loan payment! How can we attract—and keep—new teachers under these conditions? [That's where you can help.]( The Biden administration is proposing a new rule that will require most employees making less than $55,000 to receive pay for overtime they work, up from the current $35,000. This is a huge change that will greatly help 3.6 million workers, including janitors, food service workers, and other support professionals in our schools. Notice how I said most employees. There are three job categories that have been exempt from the policy for years: doctors, lawyers, and teachers. How does that make sense to exclude one category that makes a fraction of the other two? [Tell the Department of Labor to include teachers in their new rule and give them overtime pay if they make less than $55,000.]( [TAKE ACTION ➤]( By submitting a public comment to the proposed rule (the more personal and customized the better!), you will help make the case that new teachers should be better compensated for their work. We need to pay teachers better. Including us in the new Department of Labor overtime policy is one way to do that. Sincerely, Audra DeRidder 5th- and 6th-grade special education resource room teacher & NEA member Iron River, MI [fb]( [tw]( [in]( [NEA - National Education Association]( Help us tailor our emails to you [Are You An Educator? ➤]( You received this email at {EMAIL} because you are signed up for NEA EdAction, online and in‑person actions to build great public schools for every student. [Click here to unsubscribe.]( © 2023 National Education Association 1201 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036 [NEA Action Center]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( | [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe](