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State Teacher Salary Comparisons: Texas Teacher Salary Gap

Texas state teacher pay is an interesting topic. In a previous column (Salary for Teachers vs. Average Pay for High School Coaches), I noted how high school football coaches earn a far greater salary than most teachers in Texas. The Statesman.com also reported on more state teacher salary comparisons; this time between the teachers themselves. According to the article, the salary for teachers at poor schools (with minority students) is less than the salary for teachers at wealthier schools.

Teacher Incentive Pay and Merit Pay

Teacher merit pay and accountability has never gotten high grades from teachers in the past, especially with teachers' unions, but a new teacher incentive pay and merit pay is catching on in Minnesota classrooms, reports the New York Times. In a surprising display of cooperation, the teacher's union is working with Republican governor Tim Pawlenty to compensate teachers partly on their performance in the classroom.

Jobs with Good Vacation Plans

For some folks, time off from work can be just as important as salary. Fortunately, there are careers that allow you to take more time off than the average Joe who might get 2 weeks. In fact, some careers offer two to three months off. According to an article on Yahoo, jobs with good vacation plans are out there, you just need to know where to look.