I'm a teacher looking for work in a new district. I have 7 years of experience and a Master of Arts in Teaching. I recently interviewed for a position and I felt it went really well. A few days later, I got a call and was told, “you're not our top choice, but you could be if you were willing to come in with only 4 years of experience.” I could not say no fast enough! This would be an almost $8,000 deduction in my annual salary and it also would have impacted my extra/co-curricular stipends (which would be based on my salary) shorting me over $10,000 annually. The posting said their ideal candidate would have 5+ years of experience and a master's degree in either education or your content area. Yet, they're only willing to pay for 4 years of experience? There's already a teacher shortage- crap like this doesn't help.