U.S. public school teachers make as much as surgeons?

Question

I saw this a while back on 20/20, is it really true? I understand teachers work a lot of hours, but so do surgeons. How would they have figured that out (they said they took the average salary of both)? The only thing I can think of is hours worked broken down into hourly pay, and would they have figured in the benefits (health, retirement plans, etc)?

Answer 1

not in my state

Answer 2

Not even close.

Answer 3

I just read the story, and I didn't see any reference to doctors making the same or less than teachers.

The article was more about the failings of our public schools, and how states are going about fixing those problems by supporting charter schools, which I think is a mistake.

Answer 4

I'm a teacher and my starting salary was $24,000...don't think any surgeons would work for that unless they're in Mexico.

Answer 5

The only thing I can possibly think of is they were talking about residents or as you alluded to they took a best case scenario for a teacher (high paying state, worked minimum hours with summer off, benefits) and compared it to the worst case scenario of a surgeon (small hospital in a low income area).  If you just prorate the three months for summer the salary can go from 50K to 66K without benefits; prorate for weekends and your around 93K.  It doesn't truly work like that but they may have used that logic.

Answer 6

That is absurd, good school teachers should be paid more and bad ones should be fired.

Answer 7

I am a family doctor at a hospital, and I don't know about this. Some of the surgeons at my hospital make $175,000 plus, whereas I make around $165,000.

Any links where I can take a look.

Answer 8

I don't know what 20/20 (must have been a Saturday Night Live spoof) you watched, but, school teachers don't even come close to what surgeons make . . .

Average annual income of a teacher is around $50,000

Average annual income of a surgeon is around $150,000

http://www.missourieconomy.org/occupatio...