Nov. 29, 1999
Utah teachers have made vocal protests recently, demanding more education money.
One of their biggest complaints, they can no longer make a living just teaching.
Education Specialist Nadine Wimmer explains why this can hurt students.
Call it moonlighting madness.
While your children are in class, this often times isn't the first or the last job of the day for their teachers.
Transformation is more than just a math principle. To Tom Gatton, it's survival.
By day, he teaches teenagers geometry at Kearns High School.
Early evenings he coaches student athletes.
Then until 2:00 a.m. he sorts and handles packages for United Parcel Service.
It's a grueling schedule, five days a week.
But he says he does it to feed his family.
Tom Gatton/Teacher: "I knew for a fact that there wasn't going to be a lot of money involved in the profession, but not as much until I got started."
Reporter: "Could you do it if you only taught?"
Gatton: "No. It would be impossible."
Gatton: "I come to school and it takes me a period to kind of get going."
In his down time at home, all he feels like doing is sleeping.
Gatton: "My wife wants some relief and I say, 'Well, I need to get some rest in order to work through the night, so I can get four hours before I'm back here.' It's not easy."
Unfortunately, his situation is not that unusual. Of all the teachers at this high school, at least half of them have second jobs.
Educators acknowledge, with all the side jobs, teaching can suffer.
Ben Lems/Asst. Principal: "If teachers didn't have to work a part-time job, they'd be a lot fresher here at school, they'd be able to concentrate on class preparation."
At this rate, burnout comes sooner.
Gatton's only two years into the job, and already doubts he can afford to become a veteran teacher.
Gatton: "As of right now, with the first two years and the struggles I've been going through, I don't want to work two jobs the rest of my life."
We should point out that state legislators have a done a direct comparison of teacher salaries and benefits in the region. Their results show Utah teachers rank second only behind teachers in Nevada.
