LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The average pay for teachers in Kentucky has dropped for the seventh year in a row when considering inflation adjustments. It has teachers across the commonwealth assessing their budgets and hoping for change.
Inflation fueling higher prices have made it an incredibly expensive year for teacher Cassie Popplewell. With two young children, food has been the biggest hurdle.
"We have a budget that we really try to stick to, and we try to manage our finances well, but your budget only goes so far," said Popplewell. "You're cutting, but everything else is going up at the same time. At some point, you're like, 'when is it going to average out?" said Popplewell.
A recent analysis by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy revealed pay raises have been lagging behind inflation in nearly every district across Kentucky since the 2008 school year. They say that amounts to an average pay cut of $3,152 annually.
Popplewell says she has definitely felt the reality of that.
"Recently, I felt really discouraged. Like what do we need to do to better manage our finances, and it helped me realize 'okay, I'm not nuts, this is happening,'" said Popplewell.
She's taught social studies at Fayette County Public Schools for eleven years. Pay raises her district gave out at the beginning of the school year bumped her up $150 a month, but she says with inflation, the boost hasn't helped.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass says Kentucky Center for Economic Policy's analysis is why they've been pushing state leaders for better compensation and support for teachers overall.
"Compensation, we know is not everything. It's also about respect, how we're respecting the profession. How we're acknowledging that these are trained professional educators and how we support them," said Glass.
Glass says the way teachers are currently paid is directly impacting schools' ability to hire and keep teachers.
"Our school districts are really stretching to make it work, and we're making it work right now, but the cracks are showing, and I think if we're honest, it's worse than people know. And I really am afraid that we are at a breaking point," said Glass.
School leaders have already said with their current state funding, this issue is not something they can fix on their own. It's why Glass plans to continue taking their concerns to the legislature. He says it goes beyond teachers to all school staff, including bus drivers.
