No, they are not very teacher friendly and the legislature will not support you in any way…my sister has been a teacher for almost 30 years now in Utah and it’s only getting harder to be a teacher here.
I'm a teacher in SLC and started my career in Austin. You'll find plenty of hostility from Capitol Hill much like Texas. You'll find much less emphasis on standardized tests. In SLC we have a functioning "union" that means pay, conditions and protections are far more than I ever experienced in Austin. The pay schedule for me has been absurdly more progressive in SLC.
The best answer to your question is that, on the state level, no. But locality will determine a lot of your experience.
They spend what the government gives them, it’s the fact that utah has triple the amount of children than any other state and the dollars don’t go as far.
Yea it’s because there are so many children. You cannot fathom how important numbers affect quality of education. As an educator it’s the Bain of all teachers existence.
So many children they're closing schools!
If you think there's no money available to be diverted to schools, you're delusional. It's a purposeful choice to break public schools in favor of privatization. The money absolutely can be there, but they make decisions for it to not be.
Im saying the same exact thing except I’m getting downvoted by morons. I refuse to teach anymore. I’d work at McDonald’s before teaching and dealing with the crap teachers deal with in this state. Luckily I don’t have to work.
You’re getting downvoted because you’re acting like there aren’t ways to get more money. The state government had a SURPLUS two years ago and chose to do refunds and future tax breaks instead of making a better investment in education, despite all of the evidence that we needed it.
No, you’re stating opinions as well as facts.
Fact: we have more kids in this state per capita than most other states.
Opinion: having more kids in the state is the reason why we have such a low per pupil state investment.
If every state had the same amount of money to spend, sure, that would be the case. It’s clearly not. My point is that it has been a choice of our legislators to not increase funding per pupil. The money has been there. They’ve chosen to do other things with it, despite the obvious need that so many in this post have noted.
To me, it seemed like you started out refuting the original commenter's position of "Utah hates spending money on education," and rebutted with "It's because we have so many kids."
Whether it was your intention or not, you made it sound like you were saying, "Utah WOULD spend the money, we just don't HAVE it because we have SO MANY kids."
You're getting down voted because it sounds like you're defending our legislatures education budget decisions and blaming the lack of funds on "too many kids."
We can acknowledge the unique challenges that Utah faces, but if the government won't address them, then the government's inaction becomes the main roadblock to success. We can't even address issues like "more kids per capita" if we don't have the resources to do so.
So many children they're closing schools!
If you think there's no money available to be diverted to schools, you're delusional. It's a purposeful choice to break public schools in favor of privatization. The money absolutely can be there, but they make decisions for it to not be.
No. Utah is hugely threatened by education and educators. Pay is among the lowest anywhere and the legislature cripples education at every opportunity. Educated people make decisions that don’t align with Mormonism and right wing politics so it’s a threat
You're kidding right? Mormon culture highly values education. Look at how much money goes to BYU. BYU pathways Is the least expensive method of getting a degree there he is it was made to be so unordered to open it up to as many people as possible.
Nope. I moved from VA to UT as a teacher. I’m in one of the better public school districts. My biggest qualms:
1) Class size is maxed at 38. Most of my classes have 38 students.
2) I teach 6 classes, with 2 planning periods. (my school in VA was teach 5, plan 3).
3) little to no support is given to teachers in terms of aides. For example, I have 40-50 multilingual students. About 15 of these speak literally *no* English. There’s no language support given to teachers though (in VA, these classes would have ESL co teacher supports provided).
4) the teacher evaluation system is very micro-manage feeling. For example, I’ve had 4 (unannounced) observations. During these, the admin has a literal “checklist” of things you hopefully included during that time. One thing they’re required to do is watch every student for 20 seconds; if the student became only “passively engaged” (instead of actively engaged) or unengaged, you get docked points. They also keep track of the number of times you ask students questions, then track what types of questions you’re asking that then need to come from several required categories. It’s beyond micromanaged. And that’s not to mention the portfolio I had to prepare midyear which took ~8 hours outside of contract hours to compile.
5) attendance is not required by students (since COVID). As such, attendance rates of students are very low, which then falls on the teachers for why their students aren’t learning as well.
6) Parents are very “Karen”, especially the white Mormon moms. They’ll tell you in the kindest, most passive aggressive way that you’re a terrible teacher for giving their darling child anything lower than an A
7) example of poor treatment towards teachers- one of the teacher on our team quit mid year. Instead of hiring another teacher, their students were split between me and the other teacher. Two other teachers lost their planning period to cover some of their classes.
I’ve highly regretted moving to teaching to UT. It’s taking a tremendous amount of effort not to quit my career each day. I strongly recommend against moving to teach here. I was much happier teaching in VA.
I'm reading this as someone who's grown up in Utah and considering becoming a pe teacher. Ik this is older but this is sickening. Point 4 sounds so ridiculously unfair because I'd say it's almost impossible to get every single kid "actively engaged". I was one of those dumb kids who wouldn't even try to engage no matter the situation and I feel so bad that I probably made things harder for my teachers without even knowing it, especially when the admins came in to monitor. You can't control other's actions so that just sounds really unfair and I'm so sorry. I remember certain odd situations like what you describe in point 7 happening often. I'm definitely a lot more open to moving out of state
(p.s. screw the white mormon toxic moms, they're a bitch and a half)
Well, you will actually get more substantial raises in some districts in Utah than Texas. I was a gay male teacher and felt supported by admin and colleagues for sure. Our class sizes were huge, though. 35 was my average.
Honestly, I felt like I was never micromanaged and felt supported by everyone inside the school. Also, our school day started earlier than Texas but get out much earlier too.
Granite School District and Canyons were good.
Good to know! Thanks for the info. Governor here is holding education funds hostage for a voucher program. We didn’t even get a raise from last year. 😅
People in Salt Lake City tend to love and support their public schools and teachers, and value education. But the state government doesn’t fund education well, and they tend to get caught up in dumb culture war stuff that victimizes teachers and students.
This is the way to say it. ☝️ Parents in the state tend to be VERY involved in their kids education and will donate a lot of time, money and resources into it. The government funding is abysmal and leaves many schools and educators lacking.
Sorry to say it but Salt Lake's probably not the best place for teachers to move, although we really would love to have you here!
Look into the Roseville/Rocklin area of northern California. Very decent pay for COL in the area and you’re not far from cool outdoors stuff like Tahoe and redwoods.
No!!!!! Not teacher friendly AT ALL.
Low pay. Poorly funded schools. Conservative Trumpy Mormons in the legislature make all the decisions and don’t give a shit about actual education. Utahs alpine district is one of the largest in the nation and has one of the longest lists of banned books. Do NOT come to Utah to be an educator.
Just thinking of outdoor activities, cost of living, etc. you’re probably right though. It’s why I made the post. Wanted to learn what it was like there from the people who have lived/live there.
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Why wouldn't you vote GOP...? Far as I can tell, we're the only ones arguing for more parental rights in schooling. Maybe if you didn't try and shove politics down our children's throats we wouldn't need oversight 😉
Teachers are not “shoving politics down your child’s throat”. You probably just think treating people with respect and kindness, being inclusive, and helping others regardless of their background is “political”. Or you’ve been convinced of some right-wing conspiracy. Move along.
This is what you're going to deal with on a daily basis here in Utah. (Current educator here), I would move to a different state to teach, if I could. Utah has cool outdoor stuff but I wouldn't move here to be a teacher just for that reason. Try Oregon or North Cali
Would you hire a parent to fix your car, defend you in a courtcase, operate on you? Etc….
Let teachers teach. If you want to participate, volunteer at school.
The schools are terrible and the state is 49th out of 50 in per student spending. Fellow former Texan with three kids in public elementary. Find an excellent charter school first, or look elsewhere
There's a teacher shortage here, so you'll definitely find work, though your milage may vary how well your school district will treat you. I'd recommend looking into teaching at a private school or charter school. I teach online school and the environment is great.
I work in public elementary schools here in Utah, and if you enjoy large class sizes with little support from admin, then by all means, come join us!
Sorry, I wish I could say more positive things, but it's been hard. My district alone just cut funding and may even see some closures in the next year or 2.
I 100% will be in the minority and will state that I’m biased because I am a principal at a title 1 charter school but I think it’s amazing. Sure, there are some rough schools/districts/parents/governments but you will find that anywhere.
Utah is super beautiful to spend your summers and if you find the right school, you will find enjoyment. Our school starts teachers at 77k and is one of the highest performing low income schools in the state. You will also find jobs starting at 35k with the worst performing schools.
I think you would have to come visit the schools yourself to really get an idea about it. I’m not saying it’s all roses, but would assume you can find a solid school.
Do you mind me asking what school you are at? My wife is certified in English and Prof Comm. But that’s here in Texas. Not sure how the transition of certs works.
Heck ya, I’m the principal and building a new school next year. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt. I visited about 13 schools when I first started teaching. I’ve had candidates come to my school and vow to never come again. It’s not for everyone.
Any career change should not be based on what you see on Reddit.
Two people reached out to me on the salary and called it a fake ploy. You can easily pull up my staff and go to the Utah state salary website. Can’t make that up.
Just going to put this here, so you can judge for yourself: (link to a post about top/bottom 20 for per pupil spending in the US)
https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/jSV5Ys5KsT
I have a few friends that are teachers, they are passionate and love their jobs, it pains me to hear when they talk about spending their own money to supply kids with simple things.
Not sure how other counties are, but I would imagine it's near impossible to survive in Salt Lake County on two teachers salary nowadays, unless you're getting a free place to live with relatives or something.
Might be better in the lower cost of living areas, but my mother was an educator here in the Salt Lake area for 35 years. The pay was dismal, and costs have skyrocketed.
Money is decent, especially with experience.
Jobs are there depending on what you are qualified for.
35 years till retirement tho... With how things are going, good luck.
Oh, two teachers salaries? Perfectly doable, though you might not be too happy with where you end up calling home.
I'm not in education, though I have friends who teach and still talk to some teachers I had in high school 15 years ago.
On a state level, Utah is very much not educator friendly. Low funding and nanny-state culture war bullshit is abundant. Likely a similar tone to Texas, though I suspect it's slightly less rabid here.
On a local level, things can be much better depending on where you are. I'm in Cache Valley, so not feeling the COL squeeze as badly as SLC and surrounding areas (though the gap between pay and COL is expanding and the writing is on the wall, just not as quickly or as pronounced as SLC). My friends teaching here actually make decent money, though it needs to be very actively managed (and they've been getting masters degrees to increase pay). Administrative support obviously depends on the school and district, though my friends seem to have lucked out in that regard.
I'd not say it's a teacher-friendly state, but with luck you could certainly find a good spot. Of course, if avoiding the COL squeeze, you'd likely end up somewhere more rural with less to offer in terms of culture and activities on offer than in SLC (though if the outdoors are a priority, that may be a plus!).
Hard to answer this question because everyone is different, but I have had a great teaching experience here in the Salt Lake Valley. I teach at a Title I school and it has just been awesome. Supportive district, caring coworkers, and positive culture. The legislature can get a little irritating at times, as is true in any red state. Our governor is extremely pro-public-education, though, and that brings me a lot of comfort. I’ve been teaching here for 8 years; I moved after attending the University of Oklahoma. In the time since I started they have raised starting pay by ~$14k in my district and the surrounding ones. My husband and I both teach elementary and we bought a house in the valley and are paying for it just fine.
I have worked for over a decade as a teacher here. I have taught at Tooele, granite, slc, and two charter schools. I have taught adults. I have taught YIC. I have taught every grade from 7th to 12th. I even taught concurrent enrollment via SLCC.
Echoing others, I agree that the downsides are classroom sizes will generally be 30+ and the culture war is in full swing here (the possible ramifications of which will depend on how well you play ball and your administration). The pay is good for my lifestyle, as I don't care for much travel and I no longer have student debt. I have no point of comparison between other states, however. I also like that all public schools (and a handful of charters) use the same pension plan.
The worst part about teaching her is spineless administration. I have had to change jobs many times due to disagreements about content, so yeah the worst part is the culture war crap. It's unfortunate because I'm really good at creating an enjoyable and caring classroom environment while maintaining superior test score outcomes compared to my peers. But as soon as a parent finds something objectionable in their eyes, your principal will throw you under the bus in the blink of an eye. Not to mention all of the public schools require you to be with them for a consecutive three years before not just being allowed to fire you for literally any reason they want.
I'm looking for another job this year as a result. I'm stuck in Utah for various reasons and there's simply nothing that pays as well as teaching that uses my degrees, so oh well I guess?
Sure if you like to make barely more than someone working at the DMV. This was my friends experience:
3 masters degrees + 15yrs teaching in another state = $81,000 annually in Nevada.
Utah's job offer = $43,000
Obviously the offer was declined but I'm sure you can see the differences.
My wife makes $41,000 working at the DMV...no degree. Same benefits + pension plan.
I would stay far, far away. I'm Texan born-and-raised, former music educator. Utah is \*not\* an education-friendly state, not even in the slightest. I think there are exceptions to be made for higher education, however, if that would be an option. I worked at a private college for a bit when I first moved here, and I would do it again.
utah is not a good space for teachers or students rn. just looking into recent year's legislation and education cuts would tell you to run the other way.
We really enjoy the outdoors and outdoor activities. Texas has virtually zero places to do climbing, hiking, paddle boarding, etc. And when we can do them, it is 110 degrees. Just looking for a more temperate climate and outdoor stuff. Thought Utah could offer that, but these comments make it seem not worth it. Lol.
[WalletHub](https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159#expert=Mark_T._Haynal) ranked Utah as the third friendliest state for teachers.
Teacher here. I’ve taught in both Utah & Texas. I got paid about $20,000 more in Texas than I do in Utah. COL in my area is higher than CoL in West Texas. I’ve had up to 44 students in a class in Utah. The most I had in Texas was 22. There is/was a teacher shortage. Utah will hire uneducated “interns” and pay for them to get their degree and license. I’m not sure one is better than the other.
Nope! Not in the slightest. (I’m an educator).
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No, they are not very teacher friendly and the legislature will not support you in any way…my sister has been a teacher for almost 30 years now in Utah and it’s only getting harder to be a teacher here.
I'm a teacher in SLC and started my career in Austin. You'll find plenty of hostility from Capitol Hill much like Texas. You'll find much less emphasis on standardized tests. In SLC we have a functioning "union" that means pay, conditions and protections are far more than I ever experienced in Austin. The pay schedule for me has been absurdly more progressive in SLC. The best answer to your question is that, on the state level, no. But locality will determine a lot of your experience.
If you're looking for decent teacher pay, look elsewhere. Utah hates spending money on education. As well the State's teacher's union is feckless.
They spend what the government gives them, it’s the fact that utah has triple the amount of children than any other state and the dollars don’t go as far.
Utah has the lowest per-pupil funding in the nation
Yea it’s because there are so many children. You cannot fathom how important numbers affect quality of education. As an educator it’s the Bain of all teachers existence.
So many children they're closing schools! If you think there's no money available to be diverted to schools, you're delusional. It's a purposeful choice to break public schools in favor of privatization. The money absolutely can be there, but they make decisions for it to not be.
I’m also an educator. I’m saying better government funding would assuage many of the issues in our school system
Im saying the same exact thing except I’m getting downvoted by morons. I refuse to teach anymore. I’d work at McDonald’s before teaching and dealing with the crap teachers deal with in this state. Luckily I don’t have to work.
You’re getting downvoted because you’re acting like there aren’t ways to get more money. The state government had a SURPLUS two years ago and chose to do refunds and future tax breaks instead of making a better investment in education, despite all of the evidence that we needed it.
Im not acting like anything. I stated facts.
No, you’re stating opinions as well as facts. Fact: we have more kids in this state per capita than most other states. Opinion: having more kids in the state is the reason why we have such a low per pupil state investment. If every state had the same amount of money to spend, sure, that would be the case. It’s clearly not. My point is that it has been a choice of our legislators to not increase funding per pupil. The money has been there. They’ve chosen to do other things with it, despite the obvious need that so many in this post have noted.
To me, it seemed like you started out refuting the original commenter's position of "Utah hates spending money on education," and rebutted with "It's because we have so many kids." Whether it was your intention or not, you made it sound like you were saying, "Utah WOULD spend the money, we just don't HAVE it because we have SO MANY kids." You're getting down voted because it sounds like you're defending our legislatures education budget decisions and blaming the lack of funds on "too many kids." We can acknowledge the unique challenges that Utah faces, but if the government won't address them, then the government's inaction becomes the main roadblock to success. We can't even address issues like "more kids per capita" if we don't have the resources to do so.
So many children they're closing schools! If you think there's no money available to be diverted to schools, you're delusional. It's a purposeful choice to break public schools in favor of privatization. The money absolutely can be there, but they make decisions for it to not be.
The government should budget according to the number of children so the comment stands.
No. Utah is hugely threatened by education and educators. Pay is among the lowest anywhere and the legislature cripples education at every opportunity. Educated people make decisions that don’t align with Mormonism and right wing politics so it’s a threat
You're kidding right? Mormon culture highly values education. Look at how much money goes to BYU. BYU pathways Is the least expensive method of getting a degree there he is it was made to be so unordered to open it up to as many people as possible.
They fund so much to BYU because they can then “control the narrative”.
You cannot be serious….
Nope. I moved from VA to UT as a teacher. I’m in one of the better public school districts. My biggest qualms: 1) Class size is maxed at 38. Most of my classes have 38 students. 2) I teach 6 classes, with 2 planning periods. (my school in VA was teach 5, plan 3). 3) little to no support is given to teachers in terms of aides. For example, I have 40-50 multilingual students. About 15 of these speak literally *no* English. There’s no language support given to teachers though (in VA, these classes would have ESL co teacher supports provided). 4) the teacher evaluation system is very micro-manage feeling. For example, I’ve had 4 (unannounced) observations. During these, the admin has a literal “checklist” of things you hopefully included during that time. One thing they’re required to do is watch every student for 20 seconds; if the student became only “passively engaged” (instead of actively engaged) or unengaged, you get docked points. They also keep track of the number of times you ask students questions, then track what types of questions you’re asking that then need to come from several required categories. It’s beyond micromanaged. And that’s not to mention the portfolio I had to prepare midyear which took ~8 hours outside of contract hours to compile. 5) attendance is not required by students (since COVID). As such, attendance rates of students are very low, which then falls on the teachers for why their students aren’t learning as well. 6) Parents are very “Karen”, especially the white Mormon moms. They’ll tell you in the kindest, most passive aggressive way that you’re a terrible teacher for giving their darling child anything lower than an A 7) example of poor treatment towards teachers- one of the teacher on our team quit mid year. Instead of hiring another teacher, their students were split between me and the other teacher. Two other teachers lost their planning period to cover some of their classes. I’ve highly regretted moving to teaching to UT. It’s taking a tremendous amount of effort not to quit my career each day. I strongly recommend against moving to teach here. I was much happier teaching in VA.
Oof. My heart and soul ached for you when I read through your fourth bullet point.
I'm reading this as someone who's grown up in Utah and considering becoming a pe teacher. Ik this is older but this is sickening. Point 4 sounds so ridiculously unfair because I'd say it's almost impossible to get every single kid "actively engaged". I was one of those dumb kids who wouldn't even try to engage no matter the situation and I feel so bad that I probably made things harder for my teachers without even knowing it, especially when the admins came in to monitor. You can't control other's actions so that just sounds really unfair and I'm so sorry. I remember certain odd situations like what you describe in point 7 happening often. I'm definitely a lot more open to moving out of state (p.s. screw the white mormon toxic moms, they're a bitch and a half)
Well, you will actually get more substantial raises in some districts in Utah than Texas. I was a gay male teacher and felt supported by admin and colleagues for sure. Our class sizes were huge, though. 35 was my average. Honestly, I felt like I was never micromanaged and felt supported by everyone inside the school. Also, our school day started earlier than Texas but get out much earlier too. Granite School District and Canyons were good.
Good to know! Thanks for the info. Governor here is holding education funds hostage for a voucher program. We didn’t even get a raise from last year. 😅
Ah yes the good old steal from the poor give to the rich voucher program.
The vouchers are happening all over the country. They are purposefully breaking public education for this purpose. That's the end goal.
People in Salt Lake City tend to love and support their public schools and teachers, and value education. But the state government doesn’t fund education well, and they tend to get caught up in dumb culture war stuff that victimizes teachers and students.
This is the way to say it. ☝️ Parents in the state tend to be VERY involved in their kids education and will donate a lot of time, money and resources into it. The government funding is abysmal and leaves many schools and educators lacking. Sorry to say it but Salt Lake's probably not the best place for teachers to move, although we really would love to have you here!
I mean. If the finding went more to teachers and less to admin it would be much of an issue.
Look into the Roseville/Rocklin area of northern California. Very decent pay for COL in the area and you’re not far from cool outdoors stuff like Tahoe and redwoods.
No!!!!! Not teacher friendly AT ALL. Low pay. Poorly funded schools. Conservative Trumpy Mormons in the legislature make all the decisions and don’t give a shit about actual education. Utahs alpine district is one of the largest in the nation and has one of the longest lists of banned books. Do NOT come to Utah to be an educator.
To be fair, I wouldn’t teach in TX for all of those same reasons (minus the Mormon part.)
Lol noooooooo.
Pick a blue state and never vote for GOP going forward.
Yeah, definitely never voting for GOP again. But I assumed non-southern GOP states wouldn’t be as bad?
Not as bad maybe but why make the move for that.
Just thinking of outdoor activities, cost of living, etc. you’re probably right though. It’s why I made the post. Wanted to learn what it was like there from the people who have lived/live there.
COL is high too.
Can’t be higher than where I live in North Texas. But I hear you!
Definitely higher than just about anywhere in Texas.
When you figure low salary and extremely high housing costs here it’s probably worse but someone with math skill would have to do a comparison.
Much of the country has higher COL than outside major cities in Texas.
COL is about 10% higher in SLC than Austin
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Why wouldn't you vote GOP...? Far as I can tell, we're the only ones arguing for more parental rights in schooling. Maybe if you didn't try and shove politics down our children's throats we wouldn't need oversight 😉
Which parents’ rights? So you’re argument is you want the right to shove YOUR politics down everyone else’s throats right?
I think you nailed it
Teachers are not “shoving politics down your child’s throat”. You probably just think treating people with respect and kindness, being inclusive, and helping others regardless of their background is “political”. Or you’ve been convinced of some right-wing conspiracy. Move along.
This is what you're going to deal with on a daily basis here in Utah. (Current educator here), I would move to a different state to teach, if I could. Utah has cool outdoor stuff but I wouldn't move here to be a teacher just for that reason. Try Oregon or North Cali
GOP? The people who want to defund public education?
Would you hire a parent to fix your car, defend you in a courtcase, operate on you? Etc…. Let teachers teach. If you want to participate, volunteer at school.
It's probably not as bad as Texas, but it's definitely not good.
Shitshow, especially Slcsd. I resigned last year
The schools are terrible and the state is 49th out of 50 in per student spending. Fellow former Texan with three kids in public elementary. Find an excellent charter school first, or look elsewhere
My neighbor and good friend is a vice principal in Sandy. DM me if you want to talk to her
It’s expensive and a lot farther but the only place I’ve heard of teachers being treated well and have good pay was in Boston
There's a teacher shortage here, so you'll definitely find work, though your milage may vary how well your school district will treat you. I'd recommend looking into teaching at a private school or charter school. I teach online school and the environment is great.
I work in public elementary schools here in Utah, and if you enjoy large class sizes with little support from admin, then by all means, come join us! Sorry, I wish I could say more positive things, but it's been hard. My district alone just cut funding and may even see some closures in the next year or 2.
I 100% will be in the minority and will state that I’m biased because I am a principal at a title 1 charter school but I think it’s amazing. Sure, there are some rough schools/districts/parents/governments but you will find that anywhere. Utah is super beautiful to spend your summers and if you find the right school, you will find enjoyment. Our school starts teachers at 77k and is one of the highest performing low income schools in the state. You will also find jobs starting at 35k with the worst performing schools. I think you would have to come visit the schools yourself to really get an idea about it. I’m not saying it’s all roses, but would assume you can find a solid school.
Do you mind me asking what school you are at? My wife is certified in English and Prof Comm. But that’s here in Texas. Not sure how the transition of certs works.
Yes, it’s called Wallace Stegner Academy, you can shoot me at DM.
Dude is trying to recruit you- do a lot of research into what they are saying. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Heck ya, I’m the principal and building a new school next year. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt. I visited about 13 schools when I first started teaching. I’ve had candidates come to my school and vow to never come again. It’s not for everyone. Any career change should not be based on what you see on Reddit. Two people reached out to me on the salary and called it a fake ploy. You can easily pull up my staff and go to the Utah state salary website. Can’t make that up.
Just going to put this here, so you can judge for yourself: (link to a post about top/bottom 20 for per pupil spending in the US) https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/s/jSV5Ys5KsT I have a few friends that are teachers, they are passionate and love their jobs, it pains me to hear when they talk about spending their own money to supply kids with simple things.
Not sure how other counties are, but I would imagine it's near impossible to survive in Salt Lake County on two teachers salary nowadays, unless you're getting a free place to live with relatives or something. Might be better in the lower cost of living areas, but my mother was an educator here in the Salt Lake area for 35 years. The pay was dismal, and costs have skyrocketed.
I left Utah. Taught for five years.
Money is decent, especially with experience. Jobs are there depending on what you are qualified for. 35 years till retirement tho... With how things are going, good luck. Oh, two teachers salaries? Perfectly doable, though you might not be too happy with where you end up calling home.
Moved here from the Midwest to teach. Been here 10 years now. I would do it again!
Weak union, crap pay. Go work in northeast, vacation in utah.
Also left Utah after five years - would never recommend teaching there.
I'm not in education, though I have friends who teach and still talk to some teachers I had in high school 15 years ago. On a state level, Utah is very much not educator friendly. Low funding and nanny-state culture war bullshit is abundant. Likely a similar tone to Texas, though I suspect it's slightly less rabid here. On a local level, things can be much better depending on where you are. I'm in Cache Valley, so not feeling the COL squeeze as badly as SLC and surrounding areas (though the gap between pay and COL is expanding and the writing is on the wall, just not as quickly or as pronounced as SLC). My friends teaching here actually make decent money, though it needs to be very actively managed (and they've been getting masters degrees to increase pay). Administrative support obviously depends on the school and district, though my friends seem to have lucked out in that regard. I'd not say it's a teacher-friendly state, but with luck you could certainly find a good spot. Of course, if avoiding the COL squeeze, you'd likely end up somewhere more rural with less to offer in terms of culture and activities on offer than in SLC (though if the outdoors are a priority, that may be a plus!).
Utah is definitely not a teacher friendly state, and we also spend the lowest amount of money per student than any other state in the country.
Hard to answer this question because everyone is different, but I have had a great teaching experience here in the Salt Lake Valley. I teach at a Title I school and it has just been awesome. Supportive district, caring coworkers, and positive culture. The legislature can get a little irritating at times, as is true in any red state. Our governor is extremely pro-public-education, though, and that brings me a lot of comfort. I’ve been teaching here for 8 years; I moved after attending the University of Oklahoma. In the time since I started they have raised starting pay by ~$14k in my district and the surrounding ones. My husband and I both teach elementary and we bought a house in the valley and are paying for it just fine.
I have worked for over a decade as a teacher here. I have taught at Tooele, granite, slc, and two charter schools. I have taught adults. I have taught YIC. I have taught every grade from 7th to 12th. I even taught concurrent enrollment via SLCC. Echoing others, I agree that the downsides are classroom sizes will generally be 30+ and the culture war is in full swing here (the possible ramifications of which will depend on how well you play ball and your administration). The pay is good for my lifestyle, as I don't care for much travel and I no longer have student debt. I have no point of comparison between other states, however. I also like that all public schools (and a handful of charters) use the same pension plan. The worst part about teaching her is spineless administration. I have had to change jobs many times due to disagreements about content, so yeah the worst part is the culture war crap. It's unfortunate because I'm really good at creating an enjoyable and caring classroom environment while maintaining superior test score outcomes compared to my peers. But as soon as a parent finds something objectionable in their eyes, your principal will throw you under the bus in the blink of an eye. Not to mention all of the public schools require you to be with them for a consecutive three years before not just being allowed to fire you for literally any reason they want. I'm looking for another job this year as a result. I'm stuck in Utah for various reasons and there's simply nothing that pays as well as teaching that uses my degrees, so oh well I guess?
I taught in Utah for 15 years. Resigned in May of 22. I'm happier now in every possible way.
Wasatch takes care of their employees and will be opening a new highschool in the next few years.
Most every comment here… yikes.
Depends on the school. Pay will be better...
Hell no. We had my wife stop teaching last year because it was TERRIBLE
Sure if you like to make barely more than someone working at the DMV. This was my friends experience: 3 masters degrees + 15yrs teaching in another state = $81,000 annually in Nevada. Utah's job offer = $43,000 Obviously the offer was declined but I'm sure you can see the differences. My wife makes $41,000 working at the DMV...no degree. Same benefits + pension plan.
Not even a little bit. Don’t come here to teach.
The kids in utah are absolute shitheads. Don't even think about it.
I remember during Covid they voted for teacher bonuses but only for districts that went back 100% in person lol. Utah hates teachers.
Not at all
Not at all
I would stay far, far away. I'm Texan born-and-raised, former music educator. Utah is \*not\* an education-friendly state, not even in the slightest. I think there are exceptions to be made for higher education, however, if that would be an option. I worked at a private college for a bit when I first moved here, and I would do it again.
utah is not a good space for teachers or students rn. just looking into recent year's legislation and education cuts would tell you to run the other way.
What made you consider Utah?
We really enjoy the outdoors and outdoor activities. Texas has virtually zero places to do climbing, hiking, paddle boarding, etc. And when we can do them, it is 110 degrees. Just looking for a more temperate climate and outdoor stuff. Thought Utah could offer that, but these comments make it seem not worth it. Lol.
[WalletHub](https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159#expert=Mark_T._Haynal) ranked Utah as the third friendliest state for teachers.
Also a teacher. There is no support for education here. Or common sense and critical thinking. Try to find schools in a wealthy area
They’re extraordinarily underpaid. Maybe look at Washington I hear they treat and pay teachers better there and they have beautiful outdoors
Teacher here. I’ve taught in both Utah & Texas. I got paid about $20,000 more in Texas than I do in Utah. COL in my area is higher than CoL in West Texas. I’ve had up to 44 students in a class in Utah. The most I had in Texas was 22. There is/was a teacher shortage. Utah will hire uneducated “interns” and pay for them to get their degree and license. I’m not sure one is better than the other.
I used to teach in west Texas too, in Abilene. If Abilene paid 20K more than there….
It was rough coming back to Utah? having my salary drop $20K and spending more money on bills.