A recently released survey from the Texas State Teachers Association has found that a third of the state’s educators take a second job to support their family, a further articulation of how declining pay is affecting our nation’s teachers.

According to the survey, the "extra jobs are in addition to the 17 hours the respondents said they spend on average each week outside the classroom on teaching-related tasks, such as grading papers and preparing lesson plans.”

Not to mention almost half (49 percent) of educators said they take a summer job to provide extra money.

The survey also indicated that the money that teachers spend on supplies annually might be increasing. In past years, teachers have been estimated to spend about $500 of out-of-pocket money on supplies. Texas educators said they spend about $656, as well as pay costly health insurance premiums.

"Respondents reported spending an average $656 a year out of their own pockets for classroom supplies and an average $326 a month on health insurance premiums, expenses made necessary because the state has failed to adequately fund public schools. Even as health care costs have soared, the Legislature hasn’t increased the $75 monthly contribution it makes to educator insurance premiums in almost 15 years,” the survey said.

Earlier in the month, a report from the Economic Policy Institute found that teacher pay is continuing to decline year after year. This year, the report found, saw the highest wage gap between teachers and professionals with similar education to date.

The report found that from 1996 to 2015, teacher has declined by $30 per week.

In other words, Texas educators aren’t alone in their need to moonlight to cover living expenses.

In fact, moonlighting is so popular in the teaching profession that entrepreneurs are capitalizing on the trend. ByATeacher.com , for example, offers people in need of services the “trustworthy talent” of educators looking to make extra cash. The website reads: “Hire trustworthy talent while supporting local teachers and your school.”

Read the full survey. 

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor

8/29/2016