As the Texas 88th Legislation begins its biennial work, one elephant in the room is the $47 billion surplus and who will end up with it. As always, many state government entities are putting their hands out hoping they get a piece of the pie. One State Legislator, House Rep James Talarico of Dist. 50 introduced a bill on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, to allow teachers, librarians, and school nurses to receive a $15,000 raise. The bill also includes a 25% increase in other school staff. Rep. Talarico, a Democrat, who represents the northern Austin area, and portions of Round Rock and Pflugerviller tweeted out why he proposed the bill.
“When I was a public school teacher, I struggled to make ends meet. 40% of Texas teachers work a second job. Thousands are leaving the profession to find work that can pay the bills. Today I’m introducing legislation to give every teacher in Texas a $15,000 pay raise. We can do this. Texas has a $47 billion budget surplus. That’s billion with a b! We can give every teacher a $15,000 raise, give all support staff a 25% raise, and still have more than HALF the surplus left over.”
Talarico continued to express other reasons as well, stating, “Hoarding this surplus while teachers and students are suffering is immoral. But it’s also bad business. You don’t stick your money under a mattress—you put it to work by making smart investments. And the smartest investment we can make is in the next generation. Raising teacher pay is the best educational investment we can make. The research is clear: teachers are the #1 school-related factor influencing student success. Public education is complex, but everything comes down to the connection between a student and their teacher. The most important job in the world is parent. The second most important job is teaching. It’s also the hardest job—especially in high-poverty schools. We ask teachers to clean up centuries of poverty and racism. Teachers are the catch-all solution to society’s problems.”
Currently, all school districts must pay the minimum required by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) which for zero years of experience it’s $33,660 annually and it caps out at $54,540 with 20 or more years of experience. Most school districts will pay the base plus extra. Brownfield ISD’s 2021-2022 payscale shows $42,000 annually for zero years of experience and caps out at $55,790 annually with 20 or more years. BISD pays $8,340 over the base pay, however, its capped pay for 20 or more years is much less than the initial zeros years. Base pay from TEA for 20 or more years is $54,540, meaning that BISD pays $1,250 over the cap.
According to a new survey by The Charles Butt Foundation which surveyed 1,125 Texan adults and included 340 public school parents, 89% of those surveyed supported an increase in state funding to raise teacher salaries, which has not happened since 2019. Also in the survey, following May’s school shooting tragedy in Uvalde, survey participants felt school safety is a top priority, as 91% of them said they support increased funding for safety programs. Prior to the beginning of the 88th Legislature, lawmakers have put $600 million to the side for school safety.
Brownfield ISD Superintendent Chris Smith, who was named Education Service Center Region 17 Superintendent of the Year for 2021-2022 feels this should be a bipartisan issue. Mr. Smith stated, “The teacher shortage crisis is a bi-partisan issue that needs to be addressed swiftly and decisively. It doesn’t matter what party you affiliate with, we have to attract and retain teachers. HB 1548 is the first bill that I have seen that provides a possible real solution to addressing the issue. It is aggressive which is what we need. The state has a $32 billion dollar surplus while schools are struggling with a number of issues. This bill provides funding for schools that will attract teachers back to the classroom.”
Meadow ISD Superintendent Bric Turner feels a similar sentiment saying, “I think it’s long overdue and it is absolutely the right thing to do. It’s simple economics. The state has not put enough money into teacher salaries to attract the number of teachers needed.”
According to the Region 17 website there are currently 72 job openings of the 63 school district it represents. This does not include Lubbock ISD, Lubbock-Cooper ISD, or Frenship ISD which there are over 125 teacher and educational aides positions open.
TownTalk reached out to Dist. 84 Rep. Dustin Burrows and Wellman-Union ISD Superintendent Nate Wheeler for comment, and they have not responded.
