Ninive Calegari and Ellen Sherratt

Because Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the dream team when it comes to higher teacher pay

Teachers are the backbone of our economy and democracy. We have sadly neglected to treat them as we should for several decades. We expect teachers to drive Uber, housekeep, and bartend to make ends meet. As a result, we have burnout and turnover AND vacancy problems that are untenable and the worst in our lifetimes.

We have a short window to correct this, because young adults still want to teach. Many young people want to be THAT teacher—the one who finds the light in each of us. Meanwhile their parents are imploring them to not teach and the number-one reason for their pleas is low pay. No one should have two jobs to do the most important job in our country and parents are not wrong to worry about their child’s financial stability. 

Thankfully, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the dream team when it comes to higher teacher pay—never in history has there been a pair of candidates who have been this committed and poised to invest in our teachers’ professional salaries.

Having a president who understands this issue and a vice president who was a social studies teacher is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for all of us. We are so grateful to them for running for office, and we look forward to a bright future where teaching is the sustainable and prestigious profession we all know it needs to be. 

Ninive Calegari is the cofounder of the Teacher Salary Project.

Ellen Sherratt is the board president of the Teacher Salary Project.