Public School Teacher Posted Her Salary Online, And It’s Causing An Uproar
Public School Teacher Posted Her Salary Online, And It’s Causing An Uproar
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Across the nation, teachers have repeatedly gone on strike, calling for fair wages and better working conditions. But one educator chose a different way to join the discussion by sharing her actual paycheck online. What happened next sparked a powerful public reaction.
Elisabeth Coate Milich, an elementary school teacher from Arizona, did something most people would never consider: she posted her pay stub on social media. In a society where conversations about income are often avoided, Milich wanted to shed light on just how little teachers in her state earn despite their education and dedication.
Her post revealed a shocking reality a raise of only $131 for the year, moving her salary from $35,490 to $35,621, according to TODAY. “I actually laughed when I saw the old salary versus the new one,” she wrote. “I mean, I love teaching, absolutely love it, but when you see what you’re actually paid, you realize you can’t live on it.”
Milich, who teaches second grade at Whispering Wind Academy in Phoenix, told CBS News that she hesitated before making her paycheck public. But ultimately, she wanted to show the true financial struggles educators face in Arizona — a state where teacher pay ranks among the lowest in the country.
While the average teacher salary in Arizona is around $47,218, according to the National Education Association, it still falls far below the national average of $58,353. And Milich’s earnings were even lower than her state’s average.
Adding to the challenge, Milich explained that teachers frequently spend their own money on classroom essentials like markers, tape, and paper costs that aren’t reimbursed. On top of that, she’s still paying off student loans two decades after college.
She admitted that her family’s financial stability relies heavily on her husband’s income. “Some of my coworkers have to work three or four jobs just to get by,” she said. “I know teachers who spend all day with kindergarteners and then head to Applebee’s at night to wait tables.”
Milich’s experience echoes a growing concern across the state. A 2017 study from Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy described teacher recruitment and retention as being at “crisis” levels. The report revealed that 42% of Arizona teachers hired in 2013 had left the profession within just three years, and that elementary school educators in the state were the lowest paid in the nation.
Her story serves as a sobering reminder of the financial struggles many teachers face and why so many are calling for meaningful change.
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