Teachers turning to side hustles to pay the bills: "I'm going to just keep hustling"

A staggering 71% of U.S. public school teachers are now working at least one second job to make ends meet, according to a March 2026 Gallup study, highlighting a deepening affordability crisis gripping a critical workforce. This pervasive reliance on 'side hustles' extends beyond summer breaks, with 85% of these additional jobs occurring during the school year itself, as educators grapple with stagnant wages and soaring living costs that erode their financial stability. This trend underscores a severe structural issue in the American education system, exacerbated by persistent inflation and a significant teacher shortage. While average teacher salaries nominally increased to $74,495 in 2024-25, the National Education Association (NEA) reports that real earnings have plummeted by nearly 5% since 2017 when adjusted for inflation, leaving teachers in 44 states with less purchasing power than in 2021. Compounding this, the nation faces an estimated 55,000 vacant teaching positions and hundreds of thousands more filled by underqualified instructors, leading to increased burnout among those who remain. The crisis is set to intensify, with proposed federal budget cuts further threatening an already strained system. A House committee bill from June 2026 suggests a 10% reduction for the Department of Education, including a nearly $2 billion cut to Title I funding which could eliminate 30,000 teaching jobs, while President Trump's FY2027 budget proposal targets significant cuts to teacher development and support programs. As teachers like Christine Regal continue 'hustling' to cover essentials like groceries and gas, the long-term viability and quality of public education hang in the balance, demanding urgent policy interventions beyond mere lip service.