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Schooling Pays Off for Teachers: Returning to School Brings More Money, Knowledge

Posted on: Monday, 3 April 2006, 03:03 CDT

By Beth L. Jokinen, The Lima News, Ohio

Apr. 2--After completing his master's degree in a few months, teacher Ben Kramer will make an additional $2,000 a year.

It's not a lot, but the New Bremen junior high social studies teacher with four years of teaching under his belt, knows it's better than nothing.

"It's not a huge, huge increase," he said. "But what you have to think about is if you don't do it, that is $2,000 you have lost. It starts to add up."

While an increase in pay is a perk for going back to school, it's not necessarily why teachers do it.

"There is always an additional salary, but we don't hear much about that. We hear a lot about them wanting to use what they learn in class," said Gayle Trollinger, Bluffton University's chairwoman of the undergraduate education department and director of the Master of Arts in education program.

Education and years of experience impact teachers' salaries. Specifically, both are part of districts' negotiated salary schedules used to determine pay.

Teachers, even those with master's degrees, do not often make the top 10 list of moneymakers in thew annual The Lima News salary report. This is especially true for larger districts. Teachers that do make the list are often doing other jobs at the schools such as coaching or advising.

There were few major changes or surprises in this year's list of school salaries. The Lima News looked at schools in Allen, Auglaize, Putnam and Van Wert counties. Ada and Celina schools were added this year. Teachers quick to obtain master's

There are teachers who work toward a master's degree in administration, which could eventually put them on the list.

"For most getting their master's in administration, they have clearly indicated their interest in becoming an administrator," Lima schools Assistant Superintendent Jill Ackerman said. "For those getting master's in curriculum, they are clearly doing it because they want to be better teachers."

Kramer, who is taking classes at Wright State University-Lake Campus, had a couple reasons for going back to school right away. One had to do with school funding and financial problems districts face.

"I was a young teacher and the job market is not real healthy. I thought I better add another certified area," said Kramer, who said he will likely remain a social studies teacher, but will be licensed to teach special education.

"If you are going to be a regular education teacher, you are going to have kids with special needs," he added. "Anything you can do to help serve those students is a plus."

Teachers just graduating from college are now required by the state to eventually either earn their master's degree or at least 30 semester hours of graduate studies. Trollinger said they have about 10 years to do so. Teachers having graduated before the new requirements began in 1998 are not required to receive their master's degrees.

Teachers also must do coursework, which can include workshops, to maintain their licenses. The coursework does not necessarily have to be toward a master's degree, but Kramer says it just makes sense to pay the money and take those courses.

"If you have to go back, why not make those classes count, and go into something meaningful to help not only you, but the kids you teach," he said.

Trollinger and teachers agree with the changes.

"As much as the state expects now, I think it is a good idea," Shawnee Elmwood teacher Stephanie Ross said. "I would have gotten it anyways, but probably not so quick."

Ross started a 20-month online master's program in January. She will be at the next step on the salary schedule by September, meaning about a $1,000 increase, with another $2,000 coming when she completes the master's program. Back to school

Trollinger said there are also more seasoned teachers returning to school.

Lima South Middle School Teacher Tina Bauer, who has been teaching for 23 years, will complete her master's degree this May. She waited to return so she could put her family life first.

"I have always wanted to get it, but I wanted to stay home and be a mother and watch volleyball and soccer games. I knew how much time it took to get a master's," she said.

Bauer will make an additional $5,000 once she graduates. It's more than the nearly $600 a new teacher receives because the salary schedule takes into account years of service. While new teachers are going back immediately, Bauer is glad she waited.

"It's good to teach awhile and get a feel for the classroom," she said. "Then you have a better idea of what you are looking for in your master's."

Even though her children are older, Bauer still has to balance her class work at Bluffton, family obligations, teaching duties and other responsibilities. She's been taking classes on Monday nights during the school year and classes during the summer. She had class every morning and afternoon for two months last summer.

Kramer admits that not having children makes it easier for him to take classes. But he also coaches football and softball.

"You put extracurriculars in there, plus if you have children, and it is a little bit to juggle," he said. "But it is not something that thousands of other people have not done before."

Ross is taking classes online through Walden University in Maryland. She picked it partly because of the convenience.

"I can get on (the computer) at 1 a.m. if I want to," she said recently while driving home from Elmwood at 6 p.m. "I can't imagine rushing out of the classroom here and then going to class."

Ross spends about seven hours a week doing college class work, including writing papers online for class discussions. This is on top of the three to four hours of work a night she has for her Elmwood job.

The extra work also comes with higher expenses. Ackerman said the average cost is $350 a credit. It usually takes about 30 credits to obtain a master's degree. Both Ross and Kramer estimate that their degree will cost them at least $10,000.

"So, it takes a while to recoup what you pay," Kramer said.

New Bremen offers $60 per credit hour in reimbursement to teachers, up to nine hours. Lima schools sets aside $25,000 a year into a fund for employees going back to school.

New Bremen Interim Superintendent Jim Roeth said about 80 percent of his teachers have master's degrees. He said it goes hand in hand with having teachers who have been with the district for a long time.

"It seems like if teachers are paid fairly decently at the beginning base, they more than likely will stay at the school, and then they are more likely to take additional hours of coursework," he said. Students benefit

Teachers say receiving more education directly affects their pupils too. Ross often talks online with her classmates to exchange ideas. She is already using things she has learned in her first-grade classroom. Recently, she studied the different parts of the brain and how pupils learn differently.

"It made me develop more involved lessons than I would have," she said.

Lima schools is currently piloting a reading program that Bauer decided to study as part of her master's curriculum. She selected the project so she could learn if the program is worth expanding.

While it may cost them more, school officials are eager to hire teachers with master's degrees. Ackerman believes a master's degree can make a big difference in the classroom.

"There is a lot of networking with people," she said. "They go back and look at what they are doing, do research, develop programs and look at best practices."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Lima News, Ohio

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Source: The Lima News

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