STRESSORS ON TEACHERS In a survey of 919 Texas teachers conducted in spring 2021, the Charles Butt Foundation found that a large percentage of teachers said the following stressors contributed to their consideration of leaving the field.
COMPENSATION CHALLENGES
Throughout the state, teacher pay has remained relatively stagnant in recent years, according to a report conducted by Raise Your Hand Texas. Average base pay for teachers in area school districts has followed similar statewide trends, while remaining at or below state averages.
AVERAGE BASE PAY
2016-17
2017-18
2018-19
2019-20
2020-21
$60,000
$50,000
87%
High level of work-related stress
$40,000
84%
Feeling undervalued
$30,000
79%
Excessive workload and long hours
$20,000
75%
Too many administrative burdens
$10,000
74%
Poor pay and benefits
$0
DISTRICT
SEGUIN ISD
STATEWIDE
COMAL ISD
NEWBRAUNFELS ISD
NORTH EAST ISD
46%
Minimal potential for career growth
DAILY SUBSTITUTE PAY
AVERAGE ANNUAL PARAPROFESSIONAL SALARY
WHAT IS A PARAPROFESSIONAL? Certified employees who provide instructional support such as one-on-one tutoring, classroom management, translation services and more
44%
Disciplinary issues
CISD: $80-$200 per day NBISD: $110-$200 per day
CISD: $20,262 NBISD: $18,592
SOURCE: CHARLES BUTT FOUNDATION/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
SOURCES: COMAL, NEW BRAUNFELS, SEGUIN AND NORTH EAST ISDS; RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS; TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
are losing them. We’re losing them to other districts, we’re losing them to other professions.” Popinski said teacher pay decreased by approximately $1,200 state- wide between 2010 and 2020 when adjusted for inflation. Average annual teacher pay in NBISD was $56,482 during the 2020- 21 school year, while the average sal- ary of a teacher in CISD was $55,233, according to data from the Texas Edu- cation Agency. The state average was $57,641 during the same year. In November, voters passed a Vot- er-Approved Tax Ratification Election in CISD, which allowed the district to set a higher maintenance and opera- tions tax rate than its current rate and to utilize funds generated by the rate for staff and teacher salaries. The VATRE’s passage paved the way for teachers to receive a 3% pay increase each year and retroactively applied to the 2021-22 school year. Auxiliary personnel also received a $1.50 hourly pay increase as a result of the VATRE’s passage. In February, the NBISD board of trustees approved a plan to pay all full-time employees $1,000 and all half or part-time employees $500 as a retention bonus. The payments were made out of available funds that had been budgeted for staff salaries that
on a day-to-day basis in their jobs, the working conditions, the school culture, how strong an environment they’re working in,” said Lindsay Whorton, president of The Hold- sworth Center. The Holdsworth Center is an orga- nization that is partnered with Raise Your Hand Texas and works to train leaders in the education profession, both at the campus and district level, to be able to provide resources teach- ers need and to better understand the needs of educators. For Fraser, if teachers were given more opportunities to participate in decision making and had a voice to express their students’ needs, fewer teachers would leave the profession. “I think districts have to be willing to engage with teachers and involve them in the decision-making process for the district,” she said. “Almost every single educator I know came into education to work with children and to try and make a difference in our community. And if we feel like we are part of something that is truly having a positive impact on our com- munity, our students, then we will be 110% committed to that.”
went unpaid due to staff shortages. “We’ve had a lot of employees that are covering during conference peri- ods while others are out sick. … It’s no secret that we are also short-staffed,” NBISD Superintendent Cade Smith said during a Feb. 7 school board meeting. “If we’re not hiring the staff, then some of the funds that we have budgeted are not being utilized.” "OVER THE COURSE OF THE 18 YEARS THAT I’VE BEEN IN EDUCATION, WE HAVE STEADILY BEEN ASKED TO DO MORE WITH LESS, AND IT’S EXHAUSTING." KATE FRASER, COMAL ISD TEACHER Both districts also utilized available federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief grant fund- ing to create additional support staff positions, though not all of those positions have been filled. Despite these efforts, Fraser said many teachers are still considering leaving the profession because of the increasing number of administra- tive tasks and student performance expectations placed on them. “Over the course of the 18 years that I’ve been in education we have
steadily been asked to do more with less, and it’s exhausting,” she said. “Some of these industries have real- ized that teachers are fast learners and incredibly hard workers and pretty loyal and devoted and are snapping teachers up and paying them two to three times what they were making in the classroom for shorter hours and less responsibility. So you know, who can blame someone for jumping at that?” Combatting losses Though district officials are unsure when the current surge in absences and staffing shortages will subside, administrators are continuing to work to fill open positions. “We’re really working hard on recruiting. We have our job fairs here that we do, and we’re also going out to several of the universities,” Supak said. “Talking to the universities, they don’t have as many education majors as they once did.” Addressing financial security is not the only factor contributing to the decline in new teachers and reten- tion, Popinski said. “Compensation is a factor. But when you really dig into the research about why teachers leave the profes- sion, it has a lot to do with one how prepared they feel to be successful
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • MARCH 2022
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