In Fargo, North Dakota, working at McDonalds pays more than some teaching positions
In Fargo, North Dakota, a short-term substitute teacher would make more money a day picking up a shift at the local McDonald’s, which is offering a starting rate of $17 per hour. The onslaught of fast food pay raises (a sign of both the ongoing labor shortage and employee-led reckonings) has local school board members worried they won’t be able to compete with chain restaurants, Inforum reports. In North Dakota, property taxes help to fund public schools. But last session, the state legislature passed House Bill 1388, which limits local-government levies that help cover school expenses. According to state Sen. Erin Oban, North Dakota’s teachers are being “faced with more challenges now than they have ever been.” For educators, seeing starting salaries fail to compete with other industries adds insult to injury. —Alex Hinton
