Exodus

Many educators wouldn’t hesitate to make a career move that added $14,000 to their annual salaries. But Jennifer Christiansen says the decision was one of the toughest she’s ever made.

Two years ago, she left her job at St. Agnes School—a Roman Catholic school in Chicago—to teach in one of the city’s public magnet schools. Although she loved her old job—and the idea of helping St. Agnes serve its predominantly Hispanic, inner-city neighborhood—Christiansen says her $21,000 salary wasn’t nearly enough to help her start a family and buy a house. “When I went in to tell my principal I was leaving, I lost it—I was in tears,” she recalls. “Leaving St. Agnes was very hard. If the salary was different, there wouldn’t be any question; I’d still be there.”

No one knows exactly how many educators move from Catholic to public schools each year, but Christiansen’s experience is hardly unusual. The 26-year-old teacher was one of three St. Agnes teachers who made the switch from private to public education that year. In fact, one public school in the same neighborhood employs 10 former St. Agnes teachers, says Patricia Jones, the Catholic school’s principal. “I’ve been seeing that here for 18 years,” Jones says. “The average person can afford to work for us for about four years, until they start getting serious about life and have all the expenses that you then incur. I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that we’re a training ground...