LA’s high cost of living is causing a teacher shortage. LAUSD must offer teachers a fair wage increase.

According to a recent national poll, Americans overwhelmingly agree that teachers like Holly don’t make enough money.¹This year, an unprecedented wave of teacher activism has swept the nation. Mass protests were staged in several states over issues like low pay and the lack of funding for public schools.

Public school teacher salaries and benefits have been eroding relative to other professions for over a decade.² In 1994, public school teachers were earning only 1.8% less than college graduates in other fields; by 2015, the gap was 17%.³ In Los Angeles, public school teachers are grappling with the skyrocketing cost of living in Southern California, which has increased 27% since 2006.⁴ Declining wages have pushed LAUSD’s public school teachers into longer commutes or into neighboring districts where pay is higher. Some are leaving the profession altogether.⁵ Low salaries lead to high teacher turnover and critical shortages: 80% of California districts reported teacher shortages in 2017.⁶ Last year, LAUSD was unable to fill all of its vacant teaching positions with fully credentialed instructors.⁷ Teacher shortages disproportionately affect students from low-in- come families and students of color, “exacerbating persistent achievement gaps between these students and their more affluent peers.” ⁸ No teacher should be forced to take on a second job—or stop teaching altogether—because LAUSD does not pay fair wages. Teachers deserve a salary that shows respect for their profession and their value to our children’s lives.