People believe (incredibly) that .50¢ is the same as 50¢ and will argue the point. Any number that's to the right of a decimal point is a fraction of a whole number. A dollar is $1.00 and half of a dollar is $.50 (also known as 50 cents) and a dollar and a half is $1.50 (also called a dollar-fifty). The novel .50¢ would be half of a cent (penny), while 50¢ is 50 pennies. I don't agree with the notion that public school teachers are underpaid.