Faith, parent support compensate for lower pay for Catholic teachers

IC photo by Christine Young

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Jeanette Sawaya (center) has been teaching dance and yoga at Judge Memorial for 26 years. Her sons go to Judge and the parallel role of being a parent and teacher is comforting because the teachers at Judge are intelligent, capable people who make her job exciting.

SALT LAKE CITY - Teachers in the Diocese of Salt Lake City appreciate their jobs despite less competitive pay because they can pray with students, the students are respectful and well behaved, parents are supportive, and there is a cohesive Catholic community.

Holy Cross Sister Genevra Rolf, assistant superintendent of Catholic Schools in Utah, said the Catholic school system is not able to pay what public schoolteachers earn. A first-year Catholic schoolteacher earns $27,125, while a starting salary for a public school teacher in 2006 was $41,359. A first-year Catholic schoolteacher with a master's degree earns $30,172, and $32,953 with a Ph.D.

"We have made great efforts to increase our salaries and make them more just," said Sr. Genevra. "First of all, we would like to think our teachers see their jobs as a ministry of education, which is part of the baptismal responsibility we all have to teach and share our faith. There are also compensations. The atmosphere in which our teachers work is one of community. Parents want their children to be in private school, so there is more parental support. We also provide compensatory benefits such as Spanish teachers, computer teachers and art teachers that are paid for by principals."

Paul Clark, a Catholic who graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in 1964, did his student teaching at Lincoln Junior High before returning to Judge Memorial, where he has been for 41 years.

"There were good people in public school, but the atmosphere was very different than the expectations I had as a Judge graduate, which made me want to again be part of Judge's academics and community," he said.

Matt Pack, who has taught at Saint Olaf School for 10 years, said his sister-in-law suggested he teach, like her, in West Valley because he could make more money. "Her classes are large, have behavior problems, many students do not speak English, and there are drug and gang issues. There are few behavior issues at Saint Olaf, and when there is a problem, it is mild, and I receive good support from parents and the administration."

Linda Simpson wanted to teach in a school with a faith-based environment. "I love that our students are, of course, intellectual, physical, social and emotional beings, but they are also spiritual beings. You can say, ‘I'm so sorry your grandmother died, I'm praying for you.' And when we have a tragedy within our community, we can stand and pray together," said Simpson, who has been teaching since 1970 in both the public and private school systems. Simpson, a Presbyterian has always felt welcome. She started substituting at Judge and J.E. Cosgriff in 1986 before teaching English at Judge in 1993.

Dan John, a Catholic, said he prays before every class and talks about world events or inappropriate behaviors that may happen with a student. John began teaching at Judge in 1982. He became the Diocesan Director of Religious Education in 1996, and now teaches Sacred Scripture and weight lifting at Juan Diego Catholic High School.

Simpson said she, being Presbyterian, has always felt welcome.

Pack, who belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, "I have not had one bad experience with teachers or parents, and I am fine teaching Catholic beliefs and doctrine. The students can't say that. They have been ostracized by neighbors."

Mollie Wood, a third-grade teacher at Saint Francis Xavier Regional School for 21 years, attended Catholic school through college. She felt it was important, as did Simpson and the other Catholic teachers in this story, to send her children to Catholic school. She likes teaching religion because she can bring it into other areas such as science and social studies.