Christopher Vick’s parents did not receive nearly as much schooling as he did.

“I had a parent who was college-educated. I had a parent who was high school-educated,” said Vick. “But, the common denominator was that ‘you are going, minimally, to get a master’s degree,’ and that’s just the expectation.”

Vick, the director of the African-American Scholars Program, surpassed his parents’ expectations and now holds a doctorate in education. According to Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Angela Allen, who holds a doctorate herself, Vick is one of nine faculty members at the school who hold doctorates.

Vick wanted to get a doctorate from the time he was 10 years old.

“I’ve always enjoyed thinking about what’s wrong with this system and how I can make it better for students, particularly for students of color,” said Vick.

Science teacher Briana Brown decided to get her doctorate because of the impact her research could have.

“Before I did that, I worked in environmental education, and I felt frustrated in the fact that I didn’t see a huge difference in terms of education affecting change,” said Brown. “So I wanted to try from a research angle. The research guides the policymaking.”

Neither Vick nor Brown identified higher pay as the reason they got their doctorates, but it is a perk that comes with the title.

According to the current contract between the School Committee and the Educators Union, a teacher who holds a doctorate makes $6,000 more than a teacher with a master’s degree during his or her first year of teaching.

Both salaries increase each year, but the income of the teacher who holds the doctorate grows more. By the 16th year, the teacher who holds the doctorate earns $13,000 more annually than the teacher with the master’s degree.

According to social studies teacher Rich Goldberg, who holds a doctorate, while the high school is interested in hiring teachers who hold doctorates, the expense of doing so would be difficult to fit into the town’s budget. However, he believes that this should not be a factor.

“Over-qualification, just like racism and sexism, discriminates against people,” said Goldberg. “You’d be in violation of the law if you said you’re not going to hire teachers with a lot of experience and a lot of education. But believe me, they’re not going to be doing it.”

Allen maintained that Brookline does not have a policy preventing teachers who hold doctorates from getting jobs.

“The School Department does hire teachers who have Ph.D.s,” Allen said.

She continued by pointing to the higher salaries for teachers who hold doctorates, implying that it would not exist if the town did not have teachers who hold doctorates to pay extra. She said that many other school districts do not pay teachers more for holding a doctorate.

According to Deputy Superintendent for Administration and Finance Peter Rowe, the district has hired 175 professionals since the current contract came into effect in September of 2009. Of these 175, only one was a classroom teacher who already held a doctorate.

Goldberg explained that he was able to be hired with an Ed.D. because at the time, there was no extra pay for teachers who held doctorates. A few years later, though, he was on the negotiation committee that won their extra pay.

He cautioned against getting a doctorate for prospective high school social studies teachers.

“It’s kind of a way to price yourself out of the job market,” said Golberg. “It’s a nice thing to pursue once you have a job.”

Allen disagreed that having a doctorate would be a liability.

“We don’t look at what the salary would be as a factor in deciding whether we’re going to hire a teacher,” said Allen who said that that holding a doctorate does not always translate into better teaching.

Vick believes that it is particularly valuable for him as the director of the African-American Scholars Program to have an Ed.D.

“One of the reasons we have this achievement gap is that students of color do not, as often as their white peers, get to see people with advanced degrees,” said Vick. “It sends an incredibly important message to say, ‘I came from the exact same thing as you, with the same supports and challenges. I can, which means you can.’”

Vick said that it feels satisfying to be called “doctor.”

“I absolutely love it,” said Vick. “It’s such a small little stupid thing, but you earn it, and you should get it.”

Goldberg, though, neither goes by “doctor” nor does he likes the title.

“I’m against titles in general,” he said. “ I honestly think that doctors and dentists don’t need to be called ‘doctor,’ either, but most of them do.”

Aaron Sege can be contacted at [email protected].