How a Fair Starting Salary Attracts the Best and Brightest to Teaching
By John Rosales
When Matt Goldstein graduated in 2005 from Pennsauken High School in New Jersey, his dream was to finish college and return to the school as a teacher. In 2011, after serving as a substitute teacher for several years, Goldstein, 24, became a fulltime teacher at Pennsauken at a starting salary of $53,000.While the starting salary was not Goldstein’s primary reason for accepting a teaching position in his hometown, he says the salary provides incentive to remain there.
“When you are able to live comfortably, without having to work a second job, it makes teaching a whole lot easier because you can focus on your job, without financial problems or distractions,” he says. “I think there are many parents who understand how hard we work. The community often has ways to show their