School Finance

Gov. Greg Abbott named raising teacher pay as one of seven emergency items for this legislative session. The push for higher salaries comes as most teachers in the state weigh whether staying in the profession is worth it.

Last school year, the average teacher in Texas made thousands of dollars less than teachers in other states. A nearly $5 billion bill filed Tuesday in the Legislature seeks to provide across-the-board raises and put more money toward bonuses.

The Liberty Hill school district will transition to a "hybrid" calendar next fall, with some months having four-day school weeks, and other months having five-day school weeks. It's one strategy the district is using to help cut costs amid concerns about its budget.

The hiring freeze is set to begin on March 1. It’s one strategy Austin ISD is using to cut spending by $32 million, so the district can end the current fiscal year with a $78 million deficit.

Trustees approved a 2023-2024 budget that spends just over $52 million of the district’s savings to help cover the cost of an aggressive compensation package they unanimously approved last month.

While there have been incremental salary increases in Texas and the U.S., the president of the National Education Association said, they're not keeping pace with inflation and not enough to address the nationwide teacher shortage.

Texas lawmakers are set to consider legislation this year that would allow families to use taxpayer money to send their kids to nonpublic schools. Democrats and rural Republicans have previously blocked efforts to get school choice bills across the finish line.

Pflugerville ISD in the Austin area is looking at shuttering one elementary school to save money, but it’s not the only district considering closures. Declining enrollment and stagnant state funding are leaving many districts with tight budgets and in some cases budget deficits.

The PfISD school board is considering closing several elementary schools to save money as the district faces a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. Trustees are expected to make a decision next month.

PfISD staff are holding public meetings over the next two weeks to get input from parents and community members on 10 proposals to redraw attendance boundaries for the 2023-2024 school year. Most of the proposals include the closure of two to three elementary schools.