What are the benefits of public school teachers?

When you were old enough to begin kindergarten, chances are you went to the public school around the corner, or perhaps to the religious school a short bus ride away. For your parents, the choice of schools was probably pretty simple.

Not any more. Today education is a complex and compelling topic in our national dialogue. Questions about school quality, accountability, curriculum, and teacher training arise each day, and we explore them in the newspapers, during political debates, and over kitchen tables all across the country.

What this means for you, as you try to decide on the best school for your child, is that you have to do your homework. Choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make. To do a good job, you have to educate yourself so you can be a savvy consumer. That means researching, networking, and making sure that you understand all the choices available to you and your child.

Even the distinction between public and private schools is no longer as straightforward as it once was. It may well be that your local public school is a better educational match for your child than an exclusive private school with a national reputation and a price tag to match. And although some research shows that private schools tend to have superior academic programs, this isn't always the case — and the gap may be narrowing. Despite their sometimes negative press, public schools are actually getting better. "If you want a good, general, all-around education, a really strong public school might be your best bet," says Ellen Booth Church, a New York-based consultant in early childhood education.

At the same time, however, private school may be more affordable than you ever realized, and shouldn't be ruled out on financial grounds alone.

To help you make your decision, here are some of the advantages of public and private schools.

The benefits of public schools

Teachers have more qualifications. According to a major study from the National Center for Education Statistics, public school teachers tend to be more qualified than their independent school counterparts in terms of education and experience. For example, they're more likely to have a master's degree, and to have logged more hours pursuing in-service study — learning, for example, how to use computers in the classroom. The report also indicates that on average, public school teachers earn higher salaries than those in private schools do.

Students spend more time studying core subjects. The same study reports that public school students study core subjects — including English, math, social studies, and science — three more hours per week than private school students.

Public schools can sponsor more activities. When it comes to offering extra-curricular sports and clubs, academic support, and better supplies and learning tools, public schools have the edge. Why? Most public schools are simply bigger than private schools, and have enough students to pull off a science fair or power a chorus or computer club. What's more, federal and state laws require public schools to provide diagnostic and disability services. Public schools are more likely to offer gifted and talented and remedial programs, too.

The student population tends to be more diverse. A private education is usually out of reach for poorer students, which means that it's less likely to introduce your child to children of various races and socioeconomic backgrounds. If you want your child to know children from all walks of life, then a public school is for you.

The advantages of private schools

Schools and classes tend to be much smaller. According to the National Center for Education Statistics study, private schools tend to be half as large as public schools. Many experts feel that children are less likely to get lost in the shuffle if they attend a smaller school, which naturally nurtures a sense of community and belonging. In addition, the teacher-student ratios in private schools tend to be more favorable, says the National Association for Independent Schools. On average, private schools have a student-teacher ratio of 9:1 as opposed to about 17:1 in public schools.

There's often less bureaucracy. Because private schools don't have to abide by certain state regulations, they spend less time on mandated paperwork and more on instruction. They also are not compelled to focus on test scores. As a result, teachers tend to enjoy more autonomy in the classroom and have more creative control over their teaching methods.

Parent involvement is strong. Not only do private schools encourage parents' participation, but it's also true that the parents of private school students tend to be extremely committed to having a say in their child's education.

Note: Private schools are not required to comply with state laws concerning special needs students. Many private schools do accommodate students with special needs, but they aren't required to by law as public schools are. If you have a special needs child, make sure that your child's physical and behavioral needs will be met.

As government employees, DEPED teachers get all the benefits that come with being a public servant in the Philippines. In addition, DEPED teachers also get additional financial incentives and benefits that are unique to their nature of work. You may refer to the list below for the incentives and benefits of DEPED public school teachers in the Philippines:

*Please note that all the information below are accurate in the time of the writing of this content. The Department of Education may apply changes. Please refer to the latest Dep. Ed. Memos for the most up-to-date information.

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1. Basic Employment Benefits:

Phil. Health Membership – Health Insurance for hospitalization and annual physical exam

GSIS Benefits – Retirement and Life Insurance Plan (You contribute 9% of your basic pay, while the employer contributes an amount equal to 12% of your basic pay)

Vacation Credits – Upto 15 days in a year

Leave Privileges – Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave and Study Leave

2. Performance Based Bonus (Annual)

The Performance Based Bonus is annual incentive given to all government employees who have been assessed to have contributed to the accomplishments of the unit he or she belongs to. In the case of DepEd teachers, the unit is the school he or she belongs to.

How can you receive the PBB?

To receive PBB, the teacher must be serving at least 4 months as a teacher in the Department of Education at the time of the assessment. The Department as a whole must meet all the “Good Governance Indicators” as stated in the Performance-Based Incentive System (PBIS).

PBB/PBIS Performance Grouping

The value of the contribution of DepEd teachers is then assessed by their superiors to determine if they are part of the “Good Performer”, “Better Performer” or “Best Performer” Group. All three groups get their share of the PBB based on their performance. A fourth group, the “Poor Performers” will not receive any incentive under this program. You may refer to the matrix below for the amount that you will receive based on your performance:

Using the table above, if your performance rating is included in the top 10% in your unit, this puts you among the best performers. If your unit is within the top 10% of all the units in your agency, you will get 35,000 pesos for your PBB. However, even if your unit is performing well but you were tagged as a poor performer, you may not get a PBB.

3. Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI)

In addition to the PBB, DEPED teachers may also receive their annual PEI. Contrary to some sources online, the PEI amount is not fixed. Instead, the amount depends on the level of savings incurred and authorized by the national government to fund the PEI. This means that the amount you receive will vary depending on these factors.

4. Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA – Annual)

This is another allowance given to all government employees to augment their take-home pay for the rising cost of living in the country. The bonus amounts to P2,000 pesos per month regardless of rank or performance. This totals to 24,000 pesos per year given to all teachers.

There are talks to increase the amount of PERA. However, the laws for these proposals have not been passed yet.

5. Mid-year and Year-end Bonuses + Cash Gift

Regular DEPED Teachers are also entitled to receive two bonuses every year to add to their basic teacher’s pay. This includes:

Mid-Year Bonus

• How Much: 1-month Salary
• When: Released in May

Year-End Bonus

Cash Gift

Also in November, teachers may be entitled to an annual cash gift amounting to 5,000 pesos.

6. Clothing Allowance

DepEd teachers are required to wear the standard department uniform as mandated Department of Education. To pay for the uniform, DepEd teachers are given 6,000 pesos every year which comes in the summer break.

7. Teaching Supplies Allowance (Chalk Allowance)

Aside from uniforms, teachers also need to pay for the supplies that they use for class. They are compensated for this through the Chalk Allowance, formally named as the Teaching Supplies Allowance. The amount may change annually but for 2021, the amount is 5,000 pesos given out at around the start of the school year.

8. Special Hardship Allowance (SHA = 25% of Basic Pay)

This is given to teachers who are assigned to hardship posts and is equalt to 25% of the teacher’s basic pay. Hardship posts, according to the Department of Budget Maintenance, refer to assignments in areas characterized by extremely hard, uncomfortable, and extreme difficulties.

The eligibility of a location as a hardship post is determined by a 0 to 1 index called the Hardship Index. The higher the index score of a location, the higher its degree of difficulty (hardship). The index is affected by the following factors:

• Time of travel between school and division office
• Human violence
• Availability of temporary learning spaces
• Level of poverty
• Access to basic amenities

Who can apply:

All teachers who are assigned to hardship posts are eligible to apply for this the Special Hardship Allowance including:

• All teachers and school heads in hardships posts
• Multi-grade teachers in pure multi-grade schools
• Mobile teachers,
• Non-Formal Education Coordinators
• Alternative Learning System (ALS) coordinators concurrently handling ALS classes

9. Long Term Incentives

Loyalty Cash Incentive

This is given to any permanent teacher or non-teaching employee who has served in the Department for at least 10 years and has a minimum of satisfactory rating in all of those years. A teacher may receive 10,000 pesos in his or her first 10 years and 5,000 pesos every five years after that if eligible.

To be eligible, they must not incur more than 50 days of cumulative authorized vacation leaves without pay in the first ten years. For the succeeding five years, they must not use more than 25 authorized vacation leaves without pay.

Step Increment (Salary Increase)

Aside from the loyalty cash bonus discussed above, a DepEd teacher may also be eligible for the Step Increment. This is an increase in the salary of the teacher within his or her salary grade. This step increment salary increase is given out to employees who receive a minimum of satisfactory rating for three consecutive years.

For more information, please refer to this DBM circular on the step increment system.

10. Proportional Vacation Pay (PVP)

The Proportional Vacation Pay refers to the amount received by the teacher during school breaks (April, May, and December). The amount that a teacher receives in these break period depends on how many absences they may have incurred in the school year. If a teacher did not use any leave credit for the entire school year, he or she will get the full for break periods. The number of days paid by PVP is usually 70 days per year. However, this may change according to the length of school breaks for the particular year.

Absences during the school year will affect your vacation pay. If a teacher is absent for one day, a proportionate amount of money will be deducted from their PVP. To make the computation easier, teachers often use the 3:1 proportion of absences to pay days. For every 3 absences in the school year, an equivalent of one day’s pay will be deducted from the PVP.

11. Mobile Teachers and District Alternative Learning Coordinators (DALC)

We’ve already talked about additional bonuses for Mobile Teachers and DALCs in the section about Special Hardship Allowance (SHA) above.  In addition to a possible eligibility for the SHA, mobile teachers and DALCs may also get the following additional allowances:

• Travel Allowance = 2,000 pesos per month
• Instructional Allowance = 5,000 pesos per School Year for ALS Supplies