Title: The 9 states where teachers have it worst - CBS News
Headings: The 9 states where teachers have it worst
The 9 states where teachers have it worst
Arizona
Michigan
North Carolina
Colorado
Indiana

Content: State tax cuts have been problematic for the state, according to the CBPP, which found that North Carolina is among the 7 states that have both reduced general school funding and cut income taxes. Colorado
Teachers in this Western state are struggling with both low pay and salaries that have fallen by 15 percent on an inflation-adjusted basis since the 1999-2000 school year. The average annual earnings for a Colorado teacher stand at $46,506, or the 5th lowest in the nation, and 21 percent below the national average. Denver teachers can't afford "basic essentials, like health insurance, child care and a mortgage," according to its union, which said its members are prepared to strike. One Denver teacher said he opted out of paying $425 a month for health insurance for several of the six years he's taught, citing money pressures. Teachers across protest and call for better p... 02:44
"I have had to forgo on saving more for retirement, too," teacher Pablo Benitez said in a statement issued by the Denver teachers' union. The union, which represents more than 5,600 teachers in Denver, said it's "buoyed by collective bargaining actions in West Virginia and Oklahoma." Indiana
Pay for Indiana teachers has suffered the biggest inflation-adjusted drop since 1999-2000, according to the Department of Education. They now earn almost 16 percent less. Average annual pay is about $50,500, slightly lower than the national average.