AUSTIN, Texas — In the classroom, students learn, grow and prepare for their futures. And, in many cases, students remember the teachers who had a profound impact on their life. That’s the message that lawmakers and educators tried to convey at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday.
“Educators play a crucial role in our country’s future and the development of our leaders and professionals,” said Deanna Perkins, a fourth-grade teacher at Leander ISD.
She’s been with the district for 18 years. She said her colleagues leave because they know they can get paid more for their skills at a different job.
“There’s not a teacher shortage. The teachers are out there. They’re just leaving the profession,” she said.
Texas Democrats are determined to change that. Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, filed legislation to increase teacher salaries by $15,000. Right now, minimum public school teacher salaries in Texas range from about $33,000 to just under $55,000, depending on years of service. The last pay raise was in 2019. Rep. Talarico hopes to use about half the state’s nearly $33 billion budget surplus to do this.
“This is an emergency, and it requires emergency action by the Texas Legislature,” Rep. Talarico said.
Rep. Steve Allison, R-San Antonio, is also in favor of increasing teacher pay.
“I think that’s something that’s long overdue, and we need to provide more respect and recognition to our teachers,” Rep. Allison said.
Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, has filed a bill to raise that number from $6,160 to $6,500. Teacher salaries would go up by about $1,300, and that would cost the state around $3 billion per year. She thinks this pay bump would help retain teachers in Texas.
“This year AISD started out 450 teachers short, and we have a teacher exodus across the state that’s very concerning,” Rep. Goodwin said. “They aren’t making enough money, and so we need to increase their pay.”
Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, has also filed a bill to increase the basic allotment to $7,075. That would result in about a $3,500 salary increase for teachers.
Republicans and Democrats are willing to work across the aisle to come to an agreement in that a pay bump is far overdue.
“Our whole education system is not a partisan issue. It’s not a Democrat or Republican issue. It’s a Texan issue,” Rep. Allison said.