BY MAC McLEAN
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Phil Lineberry decided on a teaching career because a former teacher inspired him and served as a role model.
With 39 years of experience and a master’s degree, he now is the highest-paid teacher in the Bristol area and the second highest in the entire region.
“I put a lot of time into it,” said Lineberry, who teaches agriculture at Washington County Public Schools’ Holston High in Damascus, Va.
Lineberry earned $62,144 last year, according to salary data compiled by the Herald Courier from 65 local governments.
Diana Freeman, a teacher in Wise County, Va., earned $64,718 last year.
“There’s no question [Lineberry] should be getting more with his level of experience,” said Ted Casler, human resources manager at Washington County Public Schools.
The district – along with just about every other school system in the region – combines a teacher’s level of experience and education when it calculates teacher salaries.
The formulas, known as salary scales, are a matter of public record and can be requested from school systems along with the exact salary each teacher earns.
Washington County’s salary scale starts new teachers at a base of $32,170, and caps them at $49,370 if they have more than 25 years of experience.
But Lineberry is an exception because he works 240 days per year instead of the normal 200. The extra days earned him an additional $9,874 last year.
Lineberry also received a $1,970 supplement for his master’s degree in agricultural education from Virginia Tech. This supplement is one of three supplements WCPS includes in its teacher pay scale.
The system also pays teachers with educational specialist degrees an extra $2,915 as a part of its pay scale. Teachers with doctorates earn a $3,875 supplement.
Despite Lineberry’s salary, Washington County only has 69 teachers who earned more than $50,000 last year. Conversely, Bristol Tennessee City Schools has 82, even though Bristol has 262 teachers compared to Washington County’s 580.
The city’s 2006-07 salary scale started new teachers at $35,695 and gave them bonuses for up to 30 years of service, at which time they earn $51,130 a year.
The school system pays teachers who have a master’s degree about $2,800, depending on their level of experience. Educational specialists earn about $6,200, while those with doctorates are paid an additional $8,830.
BTCS also includes a fourth step in its pay scale for those who have taken classes toward a doctorate but have yet to complete the required coursework. This step, known as “Master’s Plus 30” for 30 credit hours, carries a salary supplement of about $5,500, again depending on an individual teacher’s level of experience.
About half of BTCS’ teachers have an advanced degree and receive one of these bonuses. BTCS spokesman Todd Bailey said this reflects the school system’s philosophy that a better-educated teacher is a better teacher overall.
“A higher pay scale will get you a better-quality teacher,” Bailey said. “That’s our strategy, and so far it’s worked pretty well.”
| (276) 645-2518
I look at the pay scales for teachers and then I compare them to how much a police officer makes. These numbers should be the same because both organizations work for the state. I am not saying that teachers should get paid less, I am just saying that teachers and police/sheriff officers should get paid the same. Police offciers are the ones risking their lives day to day, not teachers.
A large disparity in pay between new and experienced teachers could lead to undue pressure for early retirement, or pressure for teachers to take jobs in other districts.
In the case of Washington County, for every 2 highly experienced teachers you could pay the salary of 3 new teachers. That’s like buying two and getting one free. Some of these other districts are paying the most experienced teachers over $10k more than what Washington County caps out at, meaning those teachers easily make double what a new teacher makes (buy one get one free).
My point is that these facts are certainly well known to those in administrative positions, and when the budget gets tight, well, things would be a lot easier financially if the schools were full of new teachers instead of those a bit longer in tooth. That could lead to a conflict of interest.
On another note, is “experience” and education the only factor in pay? What about effectiveness? In college I had a Nobel Laureate as a chemistry professor. She was certainly one of the great contemporary minds in that field, but the woman couldn’t teach worth a lick, and that made it much harder for the students. I’m sure she was extremely well paid with her experience and credentials, but that didn’t make her a good teacher.
It is my opinion that some of the more important attributes for effective teaching are not learned, or picked up through experience, but are a fundamental part of the teacher’s character and nature.
In response to Holly’s excerpt, “Have you been in a classroom lately?”
And for the second blog...newness does not bring about effectiveness.
Sphere IT
Save This Page
Reader Reaction
digg it