Teacher Pay

After hours of debate — and years of pushing from Gov. Greg Abbott — the Texas House approved a bill to create an Education Savings Account plan. The school voucher program would allow parents to use public funds toward private school costs.

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.

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.

The compensation plan approved Thursday also includes a $4-per-hour raise for hourly employees, such as bus drivers and food service staff.

State lawmakers vowed to do right by teachers this session, as tens of thousands of educators have left the field in recent years. But the bills that still have a chance of passing include only modest raises that may not keep teachers in the classroom.

AISD officials have proposed raising the minimum hourly wage for certified employees to $20 and giving a 7% pay increase to teachers, counselors and librarians. The plan could result in a $54 million budget deficit.

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.

Education Austin is asking the district for a $12 per hour raise for all classified employees and a 12% increase in base pay for all certified employees, such as teachers and counselors. That percentage is significantly higher than the raises AISD has proposed at this point for teachers.

The district sent the survey out to its more than 10,000 employees earlier this year. Many said high housing costs were pushing them to move farther away from Austin.