A teacher in Rochester Public Schools is one of several Michigan teachers featured in an ongoing campaign by the Michigan Education Association to demean the teaching profession.
In a May 8 video posted by the state’s largest teachers union, Kelly Cusmano says that her husband’s law school was fully paid for while no one paid for her two college degrees.
“I went to grad school. My husband went to law school. His law school was fully paid for,” Cusmano said in the video. “I’ve never had anybody pay for my undergrad or graduate so we came out, like, you know, totally uneven. One of us had student loans you know for years, and he just like walked away from this higher education. I think if I wasn’t in a position where I could pay that back or in a family structure that supported that, I wouldn’t be able to financially afford it. And that is sad that you would sacrifice making an impact on someone because your bottom line doesn’t give you that opportunity.”
Cusmano’s gross pay has increased from $60,878 in 2013-14 to $77,344 in 2019-20, a 27% increase over that six-year period. Gross pay figures include all forms of compensation paid to district teachers, including extra pay for taking on optional duties such as coaching a sports team or teaching summer school.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.