AT THE CAPITOL
News from the 88th legislative session
QUOTE OF NOTE
Texas Democrats propose $15K pay raise for teachers
HIGHLIGHTS HOUSE BILL 1581 Rep. Frederick Frazier, representing District 61 in Collin County, co-sponsored this bill that would make the manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury a criminal offense. The bill discusses that the offense would be a second- degree felony or a first-degree felony if it caused death. “THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: WE’RE NOT GOING TO END THIS [LEGISLATIVE] SESSION WITHOUT HAVING STRATEGIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE POWER TO THE PEOPLE OF [THIS] STATE FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS.” GOV. GREG ABBOTT, DURING A JAN. 31 WINTER STORM MARA UPDATE
BY HANNAH NORTON
National Education Association, Texas now ranks 28th. “In Texas, it’s go big or go home. And it’s time, at this moment, to go big on teacher pay,” Talarico said at a Jan. 24 news conference. Before becoming a lawmaker, Tala- rico taught language arts at Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio. “I struggled to make ends meet, and my coworkers at Rhodes Middle School drove Ubers at night and sold their own blood plasma to make extra money,” Talarico said. “Now, 40% of Texas teachers work a second job just to pay the bills.” Other supporters of the bill include state Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio; Gina Hinojosa, D-Aus- tin; and Terry Meza, D-Irving. Many districts have lost up to one-third of their teachers in recent years, Austin ISD board President Arati Singh said. “This leads to bigger class sizes, ... smaller course offerings and an increased likelihood that you have
EDUCATOR PAY RAISE Under House Bill 1548, lawmakers would propose a:
One proposed bill by Texas Demo- crats aims to increase teacher pay after 11.6% of teachers—over 42,000—left their jobs at Texas public schools ahead of the 2021-22 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency. State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, filed House Bill 1548—which is supported by the Texas House Democratic Caucus—that would raise teacher salaries by $15,000 and increase pay for school support staff by 25%. This would bring the minimum annual salary for Texas teachers to $48,660. During the 2022-23 school year, classroom teachers, full-time librarians, counselors and registered nurses with less than one year of expe- rience must receive at least $33,660 per year, according to the TEA. Under the bill, the average teacher salary would be $73,887, making Texas the seventh-best state for teacher pay, Democrats said. According to the
an uncertified teacher teaching your kids how to read,” Singh said. This session, Texas lawmakers have $188 billion available for the 2024-25 biennium state budget, including nearly $33 billion leftover from the 2022-23 biennium. The bill would also “sustainably and significantly reduce property taxes,” Singh said. The TEA partially funds schools based on attendance. The rest of the money schools receive comes from local property taxes. $15,000 teacher salary increase 25% increase in pay for school support staff $48,660 minimum teacher salary, up from $33,660 $73,887 average teacher salary SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
March 25, 2023
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