You know the barista you chat up getting your Saturday morning coffee? Or maybe the waiter you see at that little restaurant you frequent? As it turns out, these individuals may have a very different day job.

As qualified North Carolina teachers brace themselves for more budget cuts to threaten their income security — the long-term stability of a sufficient salary — they are finding they must take matters into their own hands.

The solution many have managed to cling to? Moonlighting.

One would think that, as the fountains from which our nation draws its intellect, teachers would be given the resources they need to fulfill this responsibility that is undoubtedly intrinsic to our society. It is accepted that such important leaders would be able to fulfill this responsibility sans obstacles like fretting over their income. However, these obstacles exist. In fact, they have existed for too long. They simply fly frequently under the radar frequently.

According to North Carolina statistics, 72 percent of NC teachers moonlight, either by taking a second job or summer employment. Furthermore, according to the Teacher Salary Project, teachers make 14 percent less than professions requiring similar levels of education.

It is easy to see how these facts and figures have the potential to discourage countless qualified educators, and to this, I ask just one question.

Why are we making life more difficult for teachers, of all people?

As far as government spending is concerned, President Obama has advocated for modest education budget hikes in his proposed fiscal plan, including a $30 billion allotment included in his $447 billion jobs creation package. Still, the continuing congressional chasm could actually mean more cuts to this area of national spending, cuts which are predicted to have a significant detrimental effect on local government funding for education. In short, this could mean less income security and more jobs lost for educators.

Still, there is another side to this institutional problem which involves not just the lack of funding for education, but the foundation for the education system itself. The fact that many teachers face a lack of autonomy in the classroom is an aspect of this issue that also deserves attention.

“A lot of it has to do with what I think is wrong with the teaching profession,” said Eleanor Blair Hilty, associaten education professor of education at Western Carolina University, in an interview with the Huffington Post. “They found their moonlighting jobs to be satisfying.”

The truth is that the U.S. is filled with passionate teachers who want to make a difference, and yet, our primary education system is considered a joke compared to the systems of other industrialized nations. The truth is that a majority of public school teachers spend their own money on supplies in order to bring excitement to the learning environment, because they are not provided with the means to do this solely on government funding. The truth is that a significant portion of teachers who begin their teaching career this year will leave it within five years.

Finally, the truth is that most teachers (notably in North Carolina) canno’t support themselves on the salary they earn doing what they love.

As the daughter of a public school teacher, I see the immense amount of zeal and pure, unfiltered heart that goes into teaching. I also see the flaws in our education system that often prevent this passion from being applied in the learning environment.

The real kicker is that a lot of these flaws could be solved by funding, by the government actually putting stock in the necessity of our education system’s success. It i’s a simple equation: put money into what matters and support the people that fuel our nation’s success. That’s right. Our teachers.