The Texas House did overwhelmingly approve a bipartisan bill last month that includes modest increases to the basic allotment.
But the increase to the basic allotment state lawmakers are considering is much lower than that. In fact, groups such as the Texas American Federation of Teachers and Every Texan estimate that lawmakers need to raise the basic allotment by more than $1,300 just to keep up with inflation during the next school year. And since then, inflation has chipped away at its value. School districts are required to use 30% of any increase to the basic allotment to raise pay for certain employees such as teachers, librarians and counselors.īut lawmakers haven’t increased the allotment since 2019. One of the group’s primary recommendations was that lawmakers should significantly raise teacher salaries “by increasing the basic allotment and other state funding mechanisms.” The basic allotment, which is $6,160, is the minimum amount Texas must spend per student. The Teacher Vacancy Task Force issued its final report, “ Developing a Thriving Teacher Workforce in Texas,” in February. “This task force should work diligently to ensure that best practices and resources for recruitment and retention are provided to districts to ensure the learning environment of Texas students is not interrupted by the absence of a qualified teacher.” “Teachers play a critical role in the development and long-term success of our students,” Abbott wrote in a letter to the Texas Education commissioner. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Education Agency to form a task force to address school staffing shortages plaguing districts across the state. Lawmakers are still considering raises - but not as high as teachers hoped Now, with less than two weeks to go in the legislative session, teachers are concerned more people will leave the field. as a whole will persist during the current school year.īut when lawmakers returned to Austin in January with a nearly $33 billion budget surplus, public education advocates were optimistic they might make a major investment in school salaries. The NEA expects that a gap of more than $7,700 between teacher pay in Texas and the U.S. The National Education Association found the average teacher salary in Texas was $58,887 during the 2021-2022 school year. Teacher pay in Texas lags behind the U.S. That same survey found 81% of teachers said their pay was “unfair.” More than half of Texas teachers work a second job, according to a 2022 report from the Charles Butt Foundation. “Early on, when I started teaching in Killeen, I realized that I was going to have to do something to supplement my income,” he said. She works at a private school where she earns less than public school teachers. Jacques loves teaching, but he's taken on extra hours of tutoring over the last 15 years to make ends meet. He also tutors for three hours on Saturday mornings. He packs up his stuff and then he and his kids drive over to another KISD building where he tutors students in math and science from 5 to 8 p.m.
“Most of my day is either in the classroom teaching or helping other teachers the best way that I can and supporting my science team,” he said.īut when school ends at 4:15 p.m., Jacques' day is far from over. He’s also the science teacher leader, which means he’s responsible for helping teachers plan and develop lessons. Jacques teaches four honors biology classes and one AP biology class. Each weekday morning, the Killeen ISD science teacher commutes about 30 minutes from Temple with his son and daughter who are students at the high school where he works. “If is not something that’s being done, then we will not get the best teachers.Barton Jacques works long hours. “With these prices and inflation, it is really difficult,” she said. She said several of her colleagues within Pflugerville ISD have been picking up second jobs in order to make ends meet. One of the task force’s recommendations that Dutton included in his bill is an increase in the state’s per-pupil funding – or basic allotment – from $6,160 to $6,210.Įducators like pre-kindergarten teacher Karina Rodriguez doubt that will be enough money to make a difference. The group consisted of more than 40 public school teachers and administrators, who spent more than a year looking at why teachers are quitting and retiring in order to identify possible solutions. House Bill 11 - authored by Rep Harold Dutton (D-Houston) - attempts to codify many of the recommendations made by the Teacher Vacancy Task Force. Two of the bills being considered are part of Speaker Dade Phelan’s education priority bills this session. IN-DEPTH: Why are Texas teachers quitting and what are the solutions?
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