Where are teacher salary increases this session?
Going into the 88th legislative session with a $30+ billion budget surplus, most Capitol observers assumed that lawmakers would address the teacher shortage crisis in part with a meaningful salary increase. But as the Legislature enters the final weeks of session, the options currently on the table are far from satisfactory. Click here to read more on where the proposals currently stand.
Many lawmakers are ignoring the education community’s requests for significantly more funding to meet current challenges, including the teacher shortage. With only two weeks left in the session, time is running out for legislators to approve a real, significant, across-the-board increase that will benefit teachers and other educators, as TCTA has consistently advocated. The only chance for change is for legislators to hear directly from teachers asking for a pay raise.
The House Public Education Committee met until around 3 a.m. Wednesday, with an agenda that included SB 9, the legislation that includes the Senate's salary plan for teachers. TCTA has provided input to the committee noting that while the Senate proposes an across-the-board increase of sorts, it is only a one-time bonus, not an increase. TCTA cannot support such a proposal, and we have additional concerns that the amounts are insufficient and only benefit classroom teachers. Click here to read more.
In other action this week:
- HB 3, the House’s priority school safety bill, was heard during the Senate Education Committee’s Thursday meeting. Several changes have been made in the Senate’s version, including removal of the requirement that every campus have armed security. Click here to read more.
- A hastily-called meeting to vote on an extensive bill that includes a new state testing system and a voucher plan was shot down in an unusual parliamentary move led by Rep. Ernest Bailes. Click here to read more.
- HB 1605 passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Monday. This is the bill that would make high-quality instructional materials, including pre-written lesson plans, available to districts. While use of the materials is optional for districts, the bill includes a financial incentive to do so. Click here to read more.
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