In San Antonio, the school day is only half the job for a lot of teachers. After the final bell, many are swapping grade books for gig apps, squeezing in second jobs to keep up with rent, tuition and basic bills.
One local high school teacher told KSAT she often walks out of the building between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., but on some nights she is still on campus at 9:30. After that, she hops in her car and drives for Uber on nights and weekends to bring in extra cash. She is the only income earner in her household and said ongoing staffing shortages are stacking unpaid duties on top of her regular workload.
“My hope is that representatives will work to provide a livable wage so nobody has to work a side job,” she told KSAT. Her story is playing out while local districts keep listing dozens of open teaching positions, leaving remaining staff stretched thin.
What the Gallup study found
A March report from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that roughly 71% of public school teachers hold at least one side job. Most of those gigs are worked at least partly during the school year, not just over summer break. The research, titled “Teaching for Tomorrow: Staying Power,” is based on a nationally representative survey of teachers and flags financial strain as a major driver of burnout and turnover…