Texas has long struggled with paying its teachers a competitive salary compared to other states. But recently, there has been a major push by lawmakers, educators, and advocates to significantly raise teacher pay in the Lone Star State. This fight for better teacher compensation culminated in the passage of a historic teacher pay raise bill in 2024.
The Problem of Low Teacher Pay in Texas
Prior to 2024, Texas ranked in the bottom third of US states for average teacher salaries. In the 2023-2024 school year, the average pay for a Texas teacher was around $60,000 annually. While this may seem like a decent wage, it was nearly $7,500 less than the national average teacher salary.
With the state’s low pay and the rising cost of living, many Texas teachers have struggled financially Nearly 40% have taken on a second job to supplement their teaching income Others have left the profession entirely due to being overworked and underpaid. This has contributed to a growing shortage of teachers in Texas.
Districts across the state, especially rural districts, have had an extremely difficult time recruiting and retaining talented educators And many teachers felt unappreciated and undervalued by the state’s leaders.
The Push for Reform
In response to the teacher pay crisis, Texas lawmakers made raising teacher salaries a top priority in 2024. Several key legislators introduced bills aimed at giving all Texas public school teachers a $15,000 permanent pay raise.
The Teachers’ Bill of Rights
In early 2024, Republican Senator Brandon Creighton introduced Senate Bill 9, dubbed the “Teachers’ Bill of Rights.” This sweeping education reform bill included $3.3 billion to increase teacher pay. Here’s a summary of the key compensation components:
- A $2,000 across-the-board raise for all Texas teachers
- An additional $6,000 raise for teachers in rural districts with under 5,000 students
- Expansion of the state’s teacher merit pay program, which could add between $4,000-$17,000 in additional pay based on performance
The bill also contained non-monetary benefits for teachers like more planning time, improved classroom conditions, and expanded mentoring programs.
House Bill 1548
On the House side, Democrat James Talarico proposed House Bill 1548. This legislation specifically focused on granting Texas teachers a $15,000 permanent pay raise. Talarico, a former teacher himself, noted this would make Texas teachers the 7th highest paid in the nation.
The bill also extended $15,000 raises to librarians, counselors, and nurses. Other school employees would see a 25% pay bump. In total, the bill was expected to cost $9 billion.
Texas AFT’s Educator’s Bill of Rights
The state teachers’ union, Texas AFT, introduced its own plan called the Educator’s Bill of Rights. While it did not specify a dollar amount for raises, it called for “fair wages” to bring teacher pay in line with national averages and reduce the need for second jobs. The union made this a centerpiece of their 2024 legislative agenda.
The Historic 2024 Teacher Pay Raise Bill
With bipartisan support from lawmakers, a teacher pay raise bill finally passed in May 2024. The bill included:
-
A permanent $3,000 pay raise for all public school teachers in Texas starting in the 2024-2025 school year
-
An additional one-time bonus of $7,000 for teachers in rural districts with less than 5,000 students
This represented the largest teacher pay increase in Texas history. While not as high as the $15,000 originally proposed, teachers and advocates celebrated it as a major win and a first step to restoring competitive teacher salaries.
The Benefits for Texas Teachers
This historic pay raise bill provided some much-needed financial relief for many Texas teachers. Here’s a look at some of the impacts:
-
The starting salary for a new teacher with no experience rose to $48,660, up from $45,660
-
The average teacher salary jumped to around $70,000 annually, bringing it closer to national averages
-
Rural teachers in small districts received an especially significant bump in pay
-
All teachers finally received a raise after years of stagnant salaries amid rising inflation
-
Higher pay makes the teaching profession more attractive to potential candidates
-
Teacher morale and retention improves across the state
While Texas still has work to do to bring teacher compensation in line with other states, this bill represented meaningful progress. Many teachers feel more valued and are optimistic about the future. It’s a step toward ensuring every Texas classroom is led by a qualified, dedicated educator.
Ongoing Efforts for Future Pay Increases
While applauding the 2024 bill, many education advocates emphasize this can’t be the end. Further pay raises will be needed in future sessions to retain talented teachers and keep pay competitive.
Several ideas are already being discussed, including:
-
Regular, incremental raises to teacher salaries each year
-
Further expanding the state’s merit pay program
-
Tying teacher raises to inflation or cost of living indexes
-
Bonuses for teachers certified in high-demand subjects like special education
-
Across-the-board raises for all school employees, not just teachers
Many lawmakers who championed the 2024 bill have expressed a commitment to revisit teacher pay in the future. With educators having more organized influence thanks to groups like Texas AFT, there is optimism more progress can be made.
It’s clear the public values our teachers and wants the best in every classroom. So the push for fair pay and better working conditions for Texas educators will continue beyond just this one historic victory. Our kids deserve nothing less.
What’s in the Educator’s Bill of Rights
On our website, you’ll find the full list of 10 rights, each with multiple educator-defined problems and educator-approved solutions. These will comprise the package of legislation we are already speaking with lawmakers about. In brief, though, these are the 10 rights that Texas educators consider essential to performing their jobs effectively:
- Educators have a right to reasonable working conditions with adequate time to teach in classrooms that are not overcrowded, and with workdays that do not consistently stretch into worknights and work weekends.
- Educators have a right to fair wages whether they are a classroom teacher making $9,000 less per year than their national peers, or they are a paraprofessional whose paychecks hover near federal poverty thresholds.
- Educators have a right to a secure retirement that affords them dignity after a lifetime of service and does not require them to come hat in hand every legislative session to beg for a pension that matches inflation.
- Educators have a right to quality, affordable childcare that allows them to stay in our schools nurturing their students without sacrificing the well-being of their own kids.
- Educators have a right to healthy, safe, and secure working environments free from the constant worry of gun violence or the guessing game of whether the air-conditioning will keep pace with Texas summer heat.
- Educators have a right to academic freedom and an end to book-banning and classroom censorship, as well as the attacks on tenure in higher education.
- Educators have a right to meaningful professional development that compensates teachers for continued striving within their profession and opens doors to support staff and paras to grow into new roles.
- Educators have the right to organize with their colleagues without fear of retaliation and with the knowledge that collective bargaining leads to better working and learning environments.
- Educators have a right to democratic representation and a seat at every table making decisions about our schools. That includes the repeal of legislation that allows an appointed education commissioner to undermine the will of voters by replacing their elected school boards.
- Educators have a right to freedom of religion in our schools without being forced by this state’s leaders to choose between violating their students’ constitutional rights or violating the state’s mandates to force religious instruction upon them.
Talk to Your Colleagues About the Educator’s Bill of Rights
Texas AFT has 66,000 members across this state, between K-12 and higher ed institutions and our retired educators. That’s a huge number, but it’s not enough to apply pressure on all 150 state representatives and 31 state senators. We need a movement, not a moment. That means your co-workers who aren’t in our union yet, as well as members of your community, need to hear from you why this legislation is so important.
Bill could provide pay raises for Texas teachers
FAQ
Will Texas teachers get a bonus?
Will Texas state employees get a raise in 2024?
Are teachers underpaid in Texas?
Will Texas teachers get a pay raise?
(AUSTIN) — The Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would grant a $2,000 across-the-board pay raise for all Texas teachers, with even more going toward teachers in smaller districts and those that perform exceptionally in the classroom.
What was the last teacher pay increase in Texas?
However, the last teacher pay increase was through House Bill 3 (HB 3), passed by the state legislature in 2019. The HB 3bill provided for: $6.5 billion in additional funding for public education, including $2 billion for teacher pay raises. An average pay increase of about $4,000 per year for Texas teachers.
Will Texas teachers get a $15,000 increase?
Teachers across Texas have welcomed the $15,000 increase proposed by House Bill 1548. Even though it may just be a one-time bonus, it’s a demonstration of prioritizing Texas state teachers. This move by Texas can be considered a step toward advancing and supporting teachers’ wages.
Should Texas pass teacher pay proposals?
The Texas American Federation of Teachers, a group that represents about 66,000 teachers, support staff and higher education employees in the state, is urging lawmakers to pass the teacher pay proposals.
How much do Texas teachers get paid?
Teachers in smaller districts would qualify for a $6,000 bump in pay, in order to bring them more in line with their urban colleagues. While the average starting pay for a Texas teacher is near $60,000 annually, in rural areas, Creighton said, many begin around $30,000 a year. The bill would also expand the state’s teacher merit pay program.
What would be the minimum teacher salary in Texas?
If passed, his bill would raise the minimum teacher pay to $48,660 for zero years experience and raise the average teacher pay to $73,887. Learn more about the minimum salary schedule set by the Texas Education Agency. “This moment demands bold action and that’s what our state is known for,” Talarico said in a statement.