You can understand why Casey Ash is leaving the Wake school system to take a job teaching social studies at a much higher paying charter school in New York City.
As some of you have already noted, Ash was mentioned in a New York Times article last week about a new charter school opening in September in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.
Ash was billed as being part "of an eight-teacher dream team" that will receive a salary of $125,000. They also will be eligible for bonuses, based on schoolwide performance, of up to $25,000 in the second year.
In contrast, Ash, 33, now earns $48,004 working in the Wake school system as an ESL teacher at Ballentine Elementary School in Fuquay-Varina. He's worked in Wake since August 2006.
While New York has a higher cost of living, there's no way Wake or any other district in the state would offer a teacher $125,000 a year, especially for someone as young as Ash.
The top salary in Wake for a teacher with 31 years of experience, a master's degree and national board certification is $75,596. Add in $253 a month if you have a doctorate.
Not even Chapel Hill, which offers the highest salaries in the state, top $100,000 a year for its most veteran teachers.
Comments
Casey Goes To NY
Tue, 06/09/2009 - 11:26 — RMC10Whew - If a school in NY is hiring a dream team and paying that much money - there must be a nightmare on elm street going on in that school. Mayberry RFD might look pretty good about this time next year!
According to Salary.com,
Mon, 06/08/2009 - 13:19 — shearertwAccording to Salary.com, cost of living in NYC is 81% higher than in Raleigh/Durham area.
apples and oranges
Mon, 06/08/2009 - 12:22 — Dadof3As an NYC ex-patriot, $125 K in NYC isn't $125 K earned here. I'd venture the guess that salary wasn't the main motivator, or the NYC school left some important details out.