That’s completely wrong. The state with the absolute lowest average teacher salary is Mississippi. Average salary is $48k. Assuming 12 hour days for 190 days a year, that’s about 3x minimum wage.

There are many districts with much higher averages. Just one example. In a relatively low cost of living state, Fulton county GA—the county Atlanta is in—the starting salary is $56k, and $62k with a masters. It goes up every year from there.

Why would you assume 190 days? However you are correct - minimum wage is WAY less than I assumed in the south (despite living there!)

Also: $62k/yr for a job requiring a masters degree is utterly criminal.

Because that’s the number of days teachers are required to work in Georgia and many other states. School is 180 days and then they have 2 weeks worth of teacher work days etc..

This has nothing to do with the south. Take the highest minimum wage in the country, Washington D.C., at $17 an hour.

The state with the lowest paid teachers pay more than that even assuming 12 hour days.

A masters degree isn’t required, you just start out making a few thousand a year more if you have one. Each year the gap grows though so that it becomes more and more worth it.

Also $62k a year is the starting salary for a teacher with no experience, but it’s only slightly lower than the median salary for anyone with a masters degree.

Also in many states teachers get defined benefit pensions and other benefits which are far better than what nearly anyone in the private sector gets. In Georgia, teachers can retire with their full pension after only 30 years. I know many teachers who retire in their early 50s. 10 years before nearly anyone else.