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I think it depends on the circumstances. If the district recruited you because there were no available teachers locally, and thus you had to travel some distance, then you should be recompensed for that. But if it was your decision to work quite a distance from where you live, I don't think you'd have much success trying to get reimbursed for travel expenses. Don't get me wrong, I'm naturally an advocate for teachers to be paid well, but I'm not sure that's a winning argument.
I agree it depends. If someone is moving in and hired for a school, and the lcoarion they move into is dependent on the school they’re hired to, and suddenly a couple of weeks later they decide to relocate them to a campus across town, they should be compensated since they eere moved at the districts discretion. If they make the move themselves ots different but if they are transfered over, then yes (I say this because it happens often. Here a teacher was hired at a campus, transferred her children in, two weeks later relocated her to a different campus (from intermediate to elementary school, so her children had to be switched since she no longer worked for that campus they couldn’t attend and she now had to secure extra transportation and childcare.
Pro
I agree, just give us a raise! However, if a small town wanted to hire me, and I lived outside their district, it could be a benefit that may be negotiable! I would never commute more than 30 min. to work unless it’s a significant pay increase! In that case, the gas money and time would be considered in the salary increase.
I choose to live in a neighborhood that is not near my school. I honestly can’t see any reason for a school to be responsible for paying for my decision.
Most jobs don’t pay for travel. It’s your choice where you work and where you live.
Rising Star
No. You have a choice in how far or close you live to your district. Personally, I think teachers like police officers should live in the communities they serve.
I was priced out of the district in 2015, and I don't like the district we're in (it's a combination of both parents and teachers) so my kids go out of district and I started work out of district. I'm new to this whole thing, but I am adamant about work/life balance. Even if they only gave me a small stipend for gas I'd take it.
Rising Star
I'm not sure why teachers would deserve something like that, that most other workers don't have.
Sometimes, you can justify it. When teachers still got pensions (I know some still do in other states, but MI has ended pensions for new teachers), it made sense: the job is paid much less than any comparable job, so that delayed compensation is justifiable. Teachers can write off a fraction of what the average teacher spends on classroom supplies. That makes sense, as they've got an expense that other workers don't have.
But everybody who works in person has to get there. I'd be more in favor of just giving teachers raises than a separate gas and mileage allowance.
My wife and I are music teachers, a rather low density position in a district compared to elementary or English or Math. For our first jobs, we knew we would likely have to relocate and did. But family circumstances pulled us to my wife’s small hometown where there was only one job for us in the county and it wasn’t open. So we’re both accepted we would have to drive to get free babysitting with grandparents. Over the next 20+ years we both averaged 70-90 total miles per day as opposed to moving closer. And there were several other teachers in our district doing the same. So I ask you - is my choice of living location something my employer should pay for, especially when I knew this when I accepted the job?
(The district did compensate for inter-building travel however only OW. The paperwork process for the reimbursement was overly complicated and my tax situation just made it a lot easier to use it as a tax deduction.)
I'd be happy if they removed the windfall elimination provision so that I could get the social security I paid into.
Yes. The schools that need qualified teachers the most are in underserved communities with high crime which means a commute is usually necessary. Incentives like a petrol stipend would help. Good thinking! 💭 Our superintendent makes $400k a year, has a stipend to purchase a $40k district car for transportation, and disolved all of the Deans positions. He’s soft on discipline which makes teachers jobs in poor neighborhoods that much more difficult. The starting teacher’s salary is $57k. We need to pay the lower and middle class higher wages. The elites are greedy and out of touch with the reality of most of Americans. VOTE
Hmmm, I think that is difficult.
I think there are districts that want teachers living in the district, taking part in the community.
And there are districts where the housing prices are too high and teacher salaries too low for teachers to afford to live anywhere near the district.
I am sure there are probably districts in many states where this is true.
Surprised by the responses here. Teachers are public servants, I think we deserve all sorts of tax breaks and incentives to do a pretty thankless job that is SO important for future generations in our country. If not a gas/driving stipend, I would love to at least have a budget to buy supplies for my classroom, and to be paid appropriately for all the hours I put in
Rising Star
Yeah, but the thanks should be a professional salary, not a gas allowance.
And you can write off school supplies, up to a point. Not as good as a classroom budget (which used to be common, back when I was a new teacher), but at least it's something.
Greetings! If you teach in one of the many districts whose housing costs far surpass the wages that teachers are paid, you can’t AFFORD to live there; that district should pay a GAS stipend OR do what some other districts have done and build subsidized housing FOR TEACHERS ONLY.
Having observed classes that had to avail themselves of an off-campus teacher, I would advise that districts be as teacher accommodating as possible beCAUSE an on-screen teacher nor AI instruction can replace the teaching of a touchable teacher. Trust.
Rising Star
Guess again.
But the answer to low pay for teachers isn't low-income housing for teachers. It's hefty raises. I don't expect that we'll solve that problem; half the people in this country want to end public education, and the other half support it in theory, but generally don't want to pay for it. But paying teachers a pittance and offering teacher projects when you realize the pittance isn't enough for them to live in driving distance of the school is just demeaning.
For most districts, no. Your choice of living location shouldn’t be a financial liability for the school.
The exception might be high end tourist towns where all the real estate has skyrocketed in value and everyone but the upper class is priced out. The issue with these places in my state is they’re typically remote ski towns with very few places nearby. But now we’re into a very different issue with affordable housing, and that doesn’t just affect teachers. It’s a much bigger problem that many have tried to solve with middling success at best.
Nope. Your choice.
No. That is absolutely ridiculous. You get to pick where you work AND where you live. It’s not the school district fault if you choose to live away from the job, you CHOOSE to work at
Not always however. Here once you sign they let you know that you can transfered anywhere within the district which is basically anywhere in the county. I do feel if you signed for one and they transfer you - you can’t get out unless you break your contract - they should help with the added expense of a 50+ mile drive when you chose to live close to get rid of that expense. Otherwise yes it’s a choice.
I wish they just gave us some sort of tax break.
Many people drive that far to an office and they don’t get reimbursed!
Yes, they do. It depends on their corporate role.
I use to be at a school out of county and traveled 65 min one watt but no gas money. Last year at a different county I did get minimal gas pay to travel between two of three schools. Luckily it was only 6 miles a week I split my self. Made around $75 for the entire year back in gas money but my other benefits like payed sick and personal days were pulled. So that wasn’t good.
We get a travel stipend if our assignment is to travel from school to school. I agreed with those who stated that it comes down to our overall salary.