Abbott is wrong on teacher pay in 3rd year

The claim: “I met an outstanding teacher who was only in his third year of teaching and already making more than $90,000 a year in salary.” — Gov. Greg Abbott

Abbott made the remark in his February state of the state address, referring to Dallas ISD as a model for his push to raise teacher pay in the Legislature. PolitiFact ruling: Mostly

False. While Abbott met a teacher who was earning over $90,000 last year, the educator had more than three years of experience in the classroom. It’s possible for newer teachers at Dallas ISD to earn that much in one year, but only through bonuses and stipends paid on top of their base salaries.

Discussion: The average salary for a Texas teacher is $54,122, according to the Texas Education Agency, about $6,000 less than the national average. But in the Dallas school district, the second largest district in the state, a teacher who has spent three years in the classroom can earn base pay of up to $74,000. A novice teacher makes a starting salary of $50,000 a year.

The district adopted a salary model about five years ago that pays teachers based on their effectiveness in the classroom. Educators are judged on several measures, including teaching performance and student growth and feedback, said Suzy Smith, director of performance management for the Dallas school district.

Teachers ranked in the top tier — known as masters — can earn a base salary of $90,000 under the district’s Teacher Excellence Initiative.

But it takes years to get there. Josue Tamarez Torres, who teaches fourth-grade science and math in the Dallas school district, said he believes he was the teacher cited in Abbott’s speech.

Last school year, it was Tamarez Torres’ third year at Blanton Elementary School, he said, but his eighth year teaching in the Dallas school district.

While he did earn more than $90,000 in the last school year, Tamarez Torres’ base salary was $82,000. On top of that, he earned a $12,000 stipend for teaching at a low-performing school through the district’s Accelerating Campus Excellence initiative.

He remembers meeting with Abbott last summer to talk about the district’s pay structure, but learned their conversation would be part of Abbott’s speech only after it was delivered in February from the governor’s office, he said.

Those with less experience have also reported high earnings in the district — usually through a combination of salary, stipends and bonuses tied to performance and other factors, such as being bilingual or teaching in schools with low student academic performance.