Former Oklahoma Teacher of the Year who left for Texas shares his own cost-of-living comparison

This week, Shawn Sheehan followed through by publishing a full, side-by-side comparison of his and his wife's teaching incomes and household expenses from when they worked at Norman Public Schools and now, in public schools in Lewisville, Texas.

"There were literally thousands of comments from outsiders, insiders, educators, and critics and they could largely be grouped into two categories: 'sad to see you go but do what’s right for your family' and 'way to abandon children, you selfish, greedy teacher, you must be terrible with finances, it shouldn’t be about the money,'" Sheehan blogged, speaking about reaction to his Dear John letter in May. "The main argument from the latter group revolved around cost of living."

Sheehan laid bare his household's monthly take-home pay, which in Norman was $1,847 for him and $2,369 for his wife, who is also a teacher. In Lewisville, he brings home $3,527 and she brings home $3,703, as well as all of the benefit costs he and his wife have incurred. 

He also detailed the contrasts in their rent and utility bills, and even their child's daycare costs and the price of gas and milk. 

"I hope these numbers help provide anecdotal evidence to respond to the cost of living argument. Yes, some things cost more here in Texas. And when we begin to look at buying a house, that’s going to change things, too. But at the end of the day, we have something here in Texas that we likely never would have had teaching in Oklahoma: financial stability," Sheehan wrote. "See, in one year, we’ll have made roughly $40,000 more than we would have. Then, each successive year after that, it’ll be $40,000 more than it would have been. Three years later and we’re an extra six figures ahead of what we would have made over the same amount of time. And that’s the math that I think most people forget about."

Source: Shawn Sheehan