Teachers' side hustles are a symptom of a record pay penalty, not a lifestyle choice

The image of a teacher driving for Uber after a full day in the classroom is not a story of personal grit—it is evidence of a systemic failure. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the teacher pay penalty hit a record 26.9% in 2024, meaning public school teachers now earn 73 cents for every dollar earned by similarly educated professionals outside education. This gap—which EPI calls “three decades of leaving public school teachers behind”—is the real reason educators are seeking second jobs, not a sudden outbreak of entrepreneurial spirit.

The NEA’s 2026 educator pay data confirms the National average public school teacher salary rose to $74,495 in 2024-25, a nominal 3.5% increase. But that nominal gain fails to close the widening gap with inflation or with wages in other fields requiring a college degree. As EPI explains, when teacher pay rises only with inflation—rather than with economy-wide productivity—schools lose the ability to attract and retain qualified talent. The result is a workforce where a significant portion must juggle second jobs just to keep up with basic costs.

The solution is not more gig work or side hustles. It is collective bargaining strength that lets teacher unions negotiate real salary increases; correct worker classification that ensures all school employees—including paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and cafeteria workers—are covered by wage and hour protections; and progressive state and federal funding that ends the era of public education austerity. When unions like the AFT and NEA win raises, they lift entire communities. When workers are classified as employees with the right to organize, they can bargain for the salaries that markets alone will never provide.