Notes from TSTA President, Noel Candelaria
These notes from Noel Candelaria, TSTA President, have been revised for radio interviews:
# HB3 will increase state funding of public education for the next two years by more than $11 billion, including $4.5 billion in additional funding for important classroom programs, about $2 billion for more teacher compensation and about $5 billion dedicated to reducing property taxes. The new law increases the basic allotment to $6,160 per student from $5,140 per student this current school year.
# This is not a permanent school finance fix because much of this funding may not be available during future budget periods. This is a down payment on addressing years of legislative neglect on school finance, and the Legislature must continue its work, beginning with the next regular session in 2021.
# Average per-student funding in Texas is $2,900 less than the national average, based on average daily attendance (ADA), according to the latest rankings by the National Education Association. The increased state funding will help close that gap, but Texas still will lag behind.
# We are happy that the Legislature appropriated an additional $4.5 billion for classroom resources. This money will be spent on important programs, such as all-day, pre-K for low-income students; services for dyslexic students; and more programs for disadvantaged children.
# Many teachers and professional staffers – counselors, librarians and school nurses – will get pay raises under this new law, especially teachers with more than five years’ experience. But TSTA is disappointed that this is not an across-the-board raise for all school employees. Instead, much discretion in how to distribute raises will be left to school boards. The average teacher pay in Texas now is about $54,100, or $7,600 less than the national average, according to the National Education Association. This law will help close the gap for some teachers, but many still will be left lagging far behind. We don’t know what the average pay raise will be, but we fear that many teachers are not going to get that $4,000 increase in their “compensation package” that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick touted.
# We also are disappointed that bus drivers, teachers’ aides, cafeteria workers and other support staff are not guaranteed raises. Districts have to spend 30 percent of the increase in their basic allotment on pay raises, but they must give priority to teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses. TSTA will advocate before school boards for raises for support staff as well because they also play important roles in creating safe and healthy learning environments for Texas’ 5.4 million school children. And they already are paid less than teachers and, like teachers, are hit hard by rising health insurance premiums, which the Legislature failed to address. Premiums will increase another 3 percent to 8 percent, depending on an employee’s plan, next year.
# The Legislature added funding to stabilize the Teacher Retirement System pension fund and allow retirees a much needed 13th check of as much as $2,000. The state is picking up the extra cost now, but retiree contributions will increase beginning in 2022.
# The new property tax limitations will increase future budgetary issues for many school districts. Beginning in 2021, districts will have an annual 2.5 percent cap on increases in school property tax revenue. This plus the compression of property tax rates in HB3 will hurt the ability of school districts to increase budgets as their student populations increase. It could be a major problem for fast-growing suburban districts.
# The Legislature has made a down payment on school finance reform. Next session, legislators must continue the job, find a reliable source of state funding for public schools and provide more resources to close Texas’ shortfall in per-student funding and educator pay.
# HB3 will increase state funding of public education for the next two years by more than $11 billion, including $4.5 billion in additional funding for important classroom programs, about $2 billion for more teacher compensation and about $5 billion dedicated to reducing property taxes. The new law increases the basic allotment to $6,160 per student from $5,140 per student this current school year.
# This is not a permanent school finance fix because much of this funding may not be available during future budget periods. This is a down payment on addressing years of legislative neglect on school finance, and the Legislature must continue its work, beginning with the next regular session in 2021.
# Average per-student funding in Texas is $2,900 less than the national average, based on average daily attendance (ADA), according to the latest rankings by the National Education Association. The increased state funding will help close that gap, but Texas still will lag behind.
# We are happy that the Legislature appropriated an additional $4.5 billion for classroom resources. This money will be spent on important programs, such as all-day, pre-K for low-income students; services for dyslexic students; and more programs for disadvantaged children.
# Many teachers and professional staffers – counselors, librarians and school nurses – will get pay raises under this new law, especially teachers with more than five years’ experience. But TSTA is disappointed that this is not an across-the-board raise for all school employees. Instead, much discretion in how to distribute raises will be left to school boards. The average teacher pay in Texas now is about $54,100, or $7,600 less than the national average, according to the National Education Association. This law will help close the gap for some teachers, but many still will be left lagging far behind. We don’t know what the average pay raise will be, but we fear that many teachers are not going to get that $4,000 increase in their “compensation package” that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick touted.
# We also are disappointed that bus drivers, teachers’ aides, cafeteria workers and other support staff are not guaranteed raises. Districts have to spend 30 percent of the increase in their basic allotment on pay raises, but they must give priority to teachers, counselors, librarians and nurses. TSTA will advocate before school boards for raises for support staff as well because they also play important roles in creating safe and healthy learning environments for Texas’ 5.4 million school children. And they already are paid less than teachers and, like teachers, are hit hard by rising health insurance premiums, which the Legislature failed to address. Premiums will increase another 3 percent to 8 percent, depending on an employee’s plan, next year.
# The Legislature added funding to stabilize the Teacher Retirement System pension fund and allow retirees a much needed 13th check of as much as $2,000. The state is picking up the extra cost now, but retiree contributions will increase beginning in 2022.
# The new property tax limitations will increase future budgetary issues for many school districts. Beginning in 2021, districts will have an annual 2.5 percent cap on increases in school property tax revenue. This plus the compression of property tax rates in HB3 will hurt the ability of school districts to increase budgets as their student populations increase. It could be a major problem for fast-growing suburban districts.
# The Legislature has made a down payment on school finance reform. Next session, legislators must continue the job, find a reliable source of state funding for public schools and provide more resources to close Texas’ shortfall in per-student funding and educator pay.
One Step Closer to $5000 Raise
February 25, 2019
Senate Finance Committee approves teacher pay raiseAfter hearing compelling testimony from TSTA member Virginia Caldwell of Hutto ISD and other teachers, the Senate Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 3, which would give all classroom teachers an across-the-board $5,000 pay raise. The measure, which now goes to the full Senate, doesn’t include librarians, counselors, nurses and school support staff, and TSTA will continue working to include a pay raise for them as well.
If enacted, SB3 would help us close the $7,300 annual deficit by which the average teacher pay in Texas lags behind the national average.
Caldwell, an ESL middle school teacher, told the committee that she earns more a day as an Uber driver on weekends than she does for each day of teaching, despite having eight years of experience in the classroom and a master’s degree. She is one of the 39 percent of Texas teachers who have to take extra jobs during the school year to meet their families’ budgetary needs.
February 22, 2019
House Democrats call for $14.5 billion boost for educationTexas House Democrats announced Thursday a $14.5 billion plan to improve public education in Texas by paying teachers and other school staff more, bolstering school safety and offering full-day prekindergarten, among other measures. The Texas Kids First Plan will also increase per-student funding and lower the amount property-wealthy districts pay to the state to support property-poor districts. Rather than a single omnibus bill, Democrats say their platform is spread across dozens of bills that they're backing — some of which have yet to be filed. A key element of the platform would allocate $3.8 billion for teachers and support staff, including raises and increased contributions to health care costs, stabilizing the Teacher Retirement System and issuing teachers $500 stipends for classroom supplies. The Texas State Teachers Association applauded the proposal but said it would only support a permanent, across-the-board pay raise funded by the state, rather than raises based on performance.
Senate Finance Committee approves teacher pay raiseAfter hearing compelling testimony from TSTA member Virginia Caldwell of Hutto ISD and other teachers, the Senate Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 3, which would give all classroom teachers an across-the-board $5,000 pay raise. The measure, which now goes to the full Senate, doesn’t include librarians, counselors, nurses and school support staff, and TSTA will continue working to include a pay raise for them as well.
If enacted, SB3 would help us close the $7,300 annual deficit by which the average teacher pay in Texas lags behind the national average.
Caldwell, an ESL middle school teacher, told the committee that she earns more a day as an Uber driver on weekends than she does for each day of teaching, despite having eight years of experience in the classroom and a master’s degree. She is one of the 39 percent of Texas teachers who have to take extra jobs during the school year to meet their families’ budgetary needs.
February 22, 2019
House Democrats call for $14.5 billion boost for educationTexas House Democrats announced Thursday a $14.5 billion plan to improve public education in Texas by paying teachers and other school staff more, bolstering school safety and offering full-day prekindergarten, among other measures. The Texas Kids First Plan will also increase per-student funding and lower the amount property-wealthy districts pay to the state to support property-poor districts. Rather than a single omnibus bill, Democrats say their platform is spread across dozens of bills that they're backing — some of which have yet to be filed. A key element of the platform would allocate $3.8 billion for teachers and support staff, including raises and increased contributions to health care costs, stabilizing the Teacher Retirement System and issuing teachers $500 stipends for classroom supplies. The Texas State Teachers Association applauded the proposal but said it would only support a permanent, across-the-board pay raise funded by the state, rather than raises based on performance.
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