Bonnen eludes getting pinned down on giving state’s teachers a $5,000 raise
AUSTIN — House Speaker Dennis Bonnen wants teachers to earn more this year but shied away from committing to a $5,000 across-the-board raise pitched by the Senate, saying school districts should decide how new education money would be spent.
“I think the opportunity to show teachers how much we appreciate them here in Texas is realistic and the opportunity exists. Personally, I think we’re a little better off giving our local school districts those dollars and the discretion with which to manage their own salaries and the pay of their teachers there but I’m appreciative of what the Senate has done,” Bonnen said Wednesday.
Education is a top item on the Legislature’s agenda this year. But while both chambers are calling for a substantial increase to education funding, there are any number of ways to achieve that. Raises for teachers are one. Full-day pre-kindergarten also is on lawmakers’ minds after a legislative committee urged them to make changes that will lead to better student outcomes.
The House has proposed spending an additional $9 billion on schools in the next biennium, nearly $2 billion of which would go toward property tax reform and to reduce recapture funding that siphons money from property-wealthy district to property poor districts.
The Senate has proposed about half that — $4.3 billion — largely to give teachers the $5,000 raise and reduce recapture funding.
A boost in teacher pay would begin bridging the pay gap between Texas teachers and their peers across the country.
The average salary for a Texas teacher is $53,167. The national average is $60,483, according to an estimate from the National Education Association, which examined teacher pay during the 2017-18 school year.
While the proposals differ, Bonnen stressed optimism over the commitment of both chambers to spend more money on education: “We’re all in the right boat together.”