Glen Burnie MD
8-28-2023 10:35am

Teachers' Financial Struggles Revealed As Classes Resume In MD: New Poll

The Maryland State Education Association released poll results Monday that said almost half of the state’s teachers work a second job. A stock photo of a school bus is shown above. (Shutterstock)

MARYLAND - Many Maryland teachers are in a financial pinch. The statewide teachers union, the Maryland State Education Association, just released new survey results that offer a glimpse into the situation.

About 44% of Maryland teachers have held at least one additional job in the past year, the poll said. That's comparable to the percentage of educators seeking extra work in the last surveys from 2018 and 2019. Teachers most likely to work a second job include those under 30 years old (61%), Black educators (50%) and Hispanic educators (52%).

Roughly 52% of teachers reported taking on personal debt. That's an increase from 34% in 2018 and 46% in 2019.

Nine out of 10 educators said they pay out of pocket for classroom supplies. That is consistent with the survey results from previous years.

The Maryland State Education Association released the data on Monday, which is the first day of school for many students.

“At best, too often educators are struggling to make ends meet while doing their best for students,” union President Cheryl Bost said in a press release. “At worst, the financial strain drives educators out of the profession and keeps others from joining.”

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The state teachers union hired GBAO, a pollster based in the District of Columbia, to conduct the survey. 

The survey had 2,896 participants who are members of the state teachers union. The survey was conducted online from July 9 through July 16. 

The margin of error was +/- 1.8 percentage points. That means there is a 95% chance that the real-world values for each question lie within 1.8 percentage points in either direction of the results listed.

The last time teachers were surveyed on these same prompts was in 2018 and 2019.

The full results are posted here.

“For our students to get the best from our educators, educators must be able to support themselves in the profession they’ve chosen,” Bost said. “We need to build a more supportive pipeline for aspiring educators and do more to retain the high quality educators we have through continued investments in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, strong local contracts, and ensuring that educator voices are at the table.”

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