How much do firefighters and teachers make?

[LBJDemocrat]

Rightwing pundit Larry Kudlow has said the following: "In fact, in America's largest cities, a firefighter married to a school teacher can earn close to $200,000 filing jointly. So not only will each spouse separately pay more for Social Security and health care under Obama's plan, together they'll also be slammed by Obama's cap-gains tax increase."

Is that true?

[BeatleBoot]

1. That Salary is not unreasonable around here.

[ulysses]

5. around where?

How much is the teacher making where you are?

[BeatleBoot]

10. Michigan

Suburban Detroit firefighters can make that with banked sick time etc. Plus they only work 8 days a month (24 hours per day mind you), so a lot of them have side jobs/businesses (roofers etc).

I know a school teacher about 5 years from retirement and bringing in pretty close to six fig's.

I'm sure its tougher if you're younger.

But I wouldn't be surprised at that salary.

[ulysses]

13. I'm going to guess that your teacher friend is in administration.

Right?

[BeatleBoot]

26. Nope.

But like I said: close to 6 fig's and ready to retire.

[earthlover]

14. Teachers in VA start out typically making less than $30,000

AFter 10 years experience, less than $40,000.

The average is less than 10 years experience I would guess.

The salary schedule doesn't bring you $100000 as a teacher....maybe as an administrator.

Hillary's comment about teacher and fire fighter is just another version where she talked about the FISA cap hurting the "middle class"....she has a distorted idea of what middle class is.

[gollygee]

18. I don't know any teachers (not administrators but teachers) making more than 50k

There might be a few above that, but not many, and not far above that.

I am skeptical about the firefighter thing too but less skeptical than the teacher claim.

[BeatleBoot]

27. Firefighters are retiring in the Suburbs with $100K + Pensions

Are you kidding me?

And as far as the teachers go, the one's I know supplement their income by coaching a sport or work over the summer.

A Firefighter married to a teacher can make out like bandits.

[NightWatcher]

2. firemen here get 36K to start and that's progressive for a medium sized town

[Maddy McCall]

3. They don't make that here.

In Mississippi, which is on the low end of the pay scale for both occupations, firefighters start out at about $22,000. Teachers start out at about $25,000 to $30,000.

[stray cat]

4. In some parts of the east coast teachers can do pretty well

but not throughout the country or in large cities except for those in a few states. Overtime for firefighters might increase the salary if enough overtime. However, the numbers seem way off in general.

[MercutioATC]

6. Maybe I'm completely off on Obama's FICA plan....anybody know where to link to it?

If it's anything like I thought it was, this is a gross mischaracterization.

[sandnsea]

8. It's a gross micharacterization of FICA

Hillary's been telling the same story. If you had two people making $90,000 a year, one of them doesn't go FICA free just because they're jointly over the $97,000 mark. At least not that I ever heard of. FICA is taxed on the individual. And any couple making $180,000 a year are in the top 5%, so what the fuck are we worried about them at the expense of the other 95% anyway.

[sandnsea]

7. FICA isn't a joint tax

I don't know how they are getting away with this lie. Hillary tells it too. I also have absolutely no idea how he figures Obama's health care plan will hurt them either, his goal is to reduce costs with more regulation, kind of like they do in the rest of the world.

Just lie lie lie. And, no, the only way a teacher or firefighter would make that kind of money if they were high up in administration and that's only a handful of people. I don't know why they're trying to protect the top 10%, I really don't.

[uppityperson]

9. Here are some links to info.

Teachers:
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/All_K-12_Teachers/Salary


http://www.employmentspot.com/employment-articles/teacher-salaries-by-state/


--------------------------------------


Firefighters:
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_LG12000019.html
The median expected salary for a typical Fire Fighter in the United States is $39,165.

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Fire_Fighter/Salary

[lse7581011]

11. More Than Me! n/t

[limit18]

12. Texas firefighters

After 12 months $48,968/year
After two years $53,000/year
After three years $58,000/year

Teachers make around $48,000.

[pathansen]

15. Teachers where I live make around $30,000-35,000 /yr to start

[greenbriar]

16. I am a teacher 10 years with a Masters...I almost make 50 thousand

before taxes, insurance ect............

[flvegan]

17. Not enough, no matter where.

$200,000 between a pair sounds reasonable, but should be more where the cost of living is higher.

If we pay CEOs and the like millions each year, we should damn sure pay those that teach our kids and protect/save our lives and property a hell of a lot more than we do.

Sorry, rant over.

[tritsofme]

19. There are plenty of HS teachers in our district that make six figures

They have generally been there for over ten years, and most of the highest paid take on other responsibilities outside of the classroom such as coaching.

[gollygee]

20. My mom coached and only made an extra few thousand dollars for that

and she put in a LOT of hours for that few thousand dollars. They aren't making much more for coaching.

[tritsofme]

21. Well they are in my Suburban Chicago school district.

And I agree with you that they earn it.

[ulysses]

22. what district?

[tritsofme]

23. District 211 in Illinois.

nt

[ulysses]

25. goddamn. avg teacher salary

at one of your schools is $85k? http://www.d211.org/pdf/reportcards/shs_report_card.pdf

Fuck a lot of me. What's the cost of living like, though?

edit: ok, 85. Still.

[RayOfHope]

Not even close where I live

The highest paid teachers top out about $54k/year, with the average teacher making about $34K. The only person making above $100K is the Superintendent.

[RayOfHope]

24. Not even close where I live

The highest paid teachers top out about $54k/year, with the average teacher making about $34K. The only person making above $100K is the Superintendent.

[Dorian Gray]

28. My FIL

a cop, makes a little over $110,000 a year with his overtime. My MIL, a payroll secretary at a public high school, makes about $45,000 after 38 years in the system.

So, yeah... as a teacher, she'd make a bit more. A little more overtime, it wouldn't be too far off. (They both live and work in New York City.)