AT THE CAPITOL
News from the 88th legislative session
Sign up for our newsletter at communityimpact.com for daily updates throughout the session. SUBSCRIBE TODAY Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, this bill would make the minimum wage no less than $15 per hour, or no less than the federal minimum wage, whichever is greater. HIGHLIGHTS Senate Bill 244 Authored by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, the bill would support nursing- related postsecondary education, including loan repayment assistance to nursing faculty and providing grants to nursing education programs. The loan repayment applicant must have been employed part- or full-time for at least a year or be currently employed. House Bill 1672 Authored by Rep. Jacey Jetton, R-Richmond, this bill would increase the basic allotment in public education from $6,160 to $6,700, as calculated through average daily attendance. This bill would also include the amount the basic allotment would need to be adjusted each biennium to account for inflation. House Bill 169 Authored by
Texas Democrats propose $15K pay raise for teachers
BY HANNAH NORTON
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 co-workers 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-Austin; and Terry Meza, D-Irving. Many districts lost up to one-third of their teachers, Austin ISD board President Arati Singh said. “This leads to bigger class sizes, ... smaller course offerings and an increased likelihood that you have an uncertified teacher teaching your kids how to read,” Singh said.
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 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 National Education Association, Texas
This session, Texas lawmakers have $188 billion available for the 2024-25 biennium state budget, including nearly $33 billion leftover from the previous biennium. The bill would also 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. +$15K 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
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