Thursday, January 31, 2013

Texas Teachers Fighting for Higher Salaries

Coming from a family of educators, I know from firsthand experience that teaching is one of the most underpaid professions in this country and in this state. Two years ago Texas legislators cut $5.4 billion from public education, which affected most districts, schools, and jobs. You can read more about the budget cut here. As a result, there are several bills in this year's legislation that deal with increasing teacher salaries across the state.

One bill in particular, HB 176, is hoping to increase Texas teacher salaries to be closer to the national average, which is around $43,800. The bill, written by Armando Martinez, lays out a new system where the monthly salaries increase as years of experience increase.

Another bill, HB 1, would add $2.3 billion for growth to try to make up for the huge cut two years ago. Although this is not directly related to salary increases, the $2.3 billion could include salaries as part of its growth.

The Texas State Teachers Association is a group that is backing all education-related bills in this year's legislative session. Its website lists all education-related bills and tracking information, providing a useful resource for all interested in what is happening with education-related legislation. For more information on TSTA and to see all education-related bills, click here.

Preston Chilton
Post 1
Topic: Increasing Teacher Salaries


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