No, Teachers Are Not Underpaid - Foundation for Economic Education

No, Teachers Are Not Underpaid - Foundation for Economic Education
"Recent protests across the country have reinforced the perception that public school teachers are dramatically underpaid.
They’re not: the average teacher already enjoys market-level wages plus retirement benefits vastly exceeding those of private-sector workers.
...It's Not Just Wages
...We forget the value of benefits when considering how teacher pay compares with private-sector work.
Oklahoma teachers accrue new pension benefits each year, with a present value equal to 30 percent of their annual salaries. 
Subtract Oklahoma teachers’ own contribution of 7 percent, and employer-paid retirement benefits are worth 23 percent of annual salaries.
By contrast, the typical private-sector employer contribution to a 401k plan amounts only to about 3 percent of employee pay.
Many teachers also qualify for retiree health coverage, now practically extinct in the private sector. ...But for teachers in Illinois, future retiree health benefits are worth an additional 8 percent of annual pay, while in North Carolina, retiree health benefits are worth an additional 12.5 percent..."
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