Clarification on # of pay weeks...

**Blackberry_Girl** · 01-28-2009, 01:42 AM

I am not a teacher yet...enrolled in my edu courses (finally!) so I am quite a ways away from certification at this point in time. I always understood it that teachers had a choice on how they receive their pay:
1. salary divided up equally and paid throughout the entire year so they'd have checks during the summer time
or
2. the same salary just paid on during the school year, which means a higher weekly pay but no pay whatsoever in the summer time

This is the norm, right?

My mother said in her state, the teachers only collect pay during the school year, then collect unemployment during the summers off. She said there was a newspaper article recently that indicated this is what local teachers in her area were doing and residents were against it.

I realize all states have different guidelines and districts within a state may have even more variations on guidelines, I am just wondering which is the norm in your estimation.

**Mathematical Mary** · 01-28-2009, 03:34 AM

I know nothing of "weekly pay". I don't get paid weekly and haven't heard of any other teachers who have.

I receive pay monthly of 1/12th of my salary. The district did not ask me how I would prefer to be paid. All salaried employees are paid on the same schedule.

There was an option during my first year with the district to receive a 13th check and have the salary split into 13 equal portions so that I would have pay for the month of August instead of working for nearly two months before receiving any compensation. I utilized this option during my first year (as there was no other viable option).

I had not heard of teachers collecting unemployment during the summer months.

**Ima Teacher** · 01-28-2009, 03:57 PM

In Kentucky teachers do not qualify for unemployment during summer months because we're not unemployed . . . we're just on vacation. Even if a teacher is laid off at the end of the school year, he/she cannot apply for unemployement benefits because he/she was employed on a one-year contract. Of course, that varies by state.

My district divides the salary into 12 equal montly payments, September-August. We get checks monthly by direct deposit on the fourth Friday of each month. In June, we get our June, July, and August checks in one lump sum via direct deposit.

**JohnBoy** · 01-28-2009, 10:44 PM

Here in NC we can get paid either 12 month or 10 month- either way, its monthly. I have never heard of drawing unemployment during the summer. I wouldn't think the paperwork would go through quick enough.....

**Flor** · 01-30-2009, 09:59 PM

Here we can choose 10 payments or 12, but either way, teachers don't get unemployment during summer. I suppose it could vary somewhere, but here, we don't qualify.

**kdoh_2000** · 01-30-2009, 11:58 PM

Catholic school in IL, we get paid 9/1-6/15. Summer is on our own, but contract is for the year, no unemployment. We've begged to be put on 'year long' pay periods, but they say no, "Too many families are vacationing over the summer."

**Blackberry_Girl** · 01-31-2009, 02:06 AM

Thank you. Just as I thought, no unemployment in summer. I hadn't realized it was commonplace to be paid monthly, but that was beside the point anyway, the part that I was more surprised about was that my Mom said in her state they were able to collect unemployment compensation in summer months - no wonder local residents aren't happy about it. Thanks for the responses!

**Flor** · 02-02-2009, 09:54 PM

We get paid for 180 days, I just choose to have that amount broken into 12 chunks. I'm not unemployed or on vacation for the summer or winter break, those are just days I don't work. I'm not paid for them (just the 180 days).

**kontan** · 02-08-2009, 01:43 AM

I'm at a charter in NC and no choice but 10 month pay. I prefer the 12 month plan because it makes budgeting easier. I really like Flor's answer though. We're paid for a certain number of days (180 is the general rule) and it is broken up over 10-12 payments.