Teacher Pay

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.

The 46-member committee’s report found compensation, training and better working conditions were key in helping Texas retain and hire teachers.

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, said his bill would be the largest salary increase for teachers in the state’s history. “That's the kind of bold action this moment requires. And we can do this,” Talarico said.

Public education advocates hope lawmakers will spend more on schools, raise teacher salaries and prioritize mental health resources. The last time the Texas Legislature made a major financial investment in the public school system was before the pandemic in 2019.