Williamson County students plead for art teacher pay raises

The arts can be a place where students find community and acceptance as they navigate through their school years.Some students in Williamson County worry the art teachers that help provide that community aren’t adequately valued by their district. Monday night more than half a dozen students and parents told Williamson County Board of Education members those teachers deserve to be paid more.Fairview High School junior Rosalie Mobley was among them. Mobley has been active in theater since the fifth-grade and she told board members it’s given her opportunities few people get.“Theater has given me an outlet to grow creatively, technologically, mentally, and emotionally,” said Mobley. “I did this work because I love theater, because of the family it’s given me and the incredibly loving atmosphere it creates. This atmosphere is threatened when our teachers are not valued and when our teachers are not valued, the programs they’ve created, and the students are not valued and our arts programs struggle.”Art teachers in Williamson County are currently paid a fixed stipend based on a set amount of time that does not increase year after year. Coaches of sports teams on the other hand, are paid based on a percentage of their salaries which increases year after year.Students told board members that this is disproportionate to the time arts teachers put into programs like theater productions.“I was just in a position that involved my rehearsal time alone being close to 100 hours. The arts teachers involved put in so many more hours, nearly 400 to be exact. These are professional teachers, and they deserve professional pay. Why does the leader of my preferred after school activity make so much less than any other after school program? Why are the arts teachers paid so much less than coaches for their after-school time?” said student Izzy Rose.Students also told board members that theater is an opportunity for them to be involved when sports are not an option.Eighth-grader Bryson Merriman is one such student. He was born with a heart defect and chose to pursue theater in middle school. Merriman says he’s thrived because of it.“The arts give people like me the ability to flourish, grow, and thrive regardless of their ability. And these teachers that do everything and that give people a chance and above all go above and beyond for kids like me should be paid more,” said Merriman.While board members did not discuss this topic at Monday’s meeting there are plans to discuss it in the future.Teacher salaries and pay has been an ongoing topic among school boards and even the state legislature. Last year, the Governor signed a historic salary increase for teachers across the state.