A teacher who launched a GoFundMe to help him afford a place to live has put a spotlight on teacher salaries as the new school year begins.

Bill Atkinson, a fourth grade teacher in Austin, Texas, said he began living in his car this summer when his previous living situation fell through and he could not afford rent on his $54,000 annual salary.

“No matter how much I borrowed or scraped, there was no catching up, because I just did not make enough to cover rent – because I was so used to living paycheck to paycheck, I didn’t have anything in savings to try to cover rent for a couple months,” he told “Good Morning America.” “So I tried to get a place, [but I] was having a hard time finding a place I could afford on my own.”

  • waldenA
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    3 months ago

    You’re talking about stuff that won’t be changed quickly. I’m just saying take care of yourself and don’t make bad decisions in the meantime.

    Every teacher has bad credit.

    This isn’t true, and just because other people have bad credit doesn’t mean it’s acceptable or should be normal.

    lifestyle creep

    This happens to everyone, and is typically used to describe how when people start making more money, they start spending more money. “Keeping up with the Jones’s”, etc. A budget is the only way to stay on top of this.

    I’m sorry that there are systemic problems, and I agree that teachers should earn more money, but there are ways to get ahead of these financial problems so you don’t have to live in a car. There are a lot of resources for Personal Finance to make sure you’re living comfortably with what you have.