Representative James Talarico held a Press Conference on January 24th to discuss HB 1548 relating to the salary and wages paid to public school employees. A recording of this event will be posted here.

 

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

 

Representative James Talarico, HD 50

  • 40% of teachers work a second job just to pay bills
  • HB 1548 will be a $15,000 pay increase across the board for every teacher in Texas; if passed it would be largest teacher pay raise in State history
  • A 25% increase for all educational support staff
  • If passed Texas would still have half the budget surplus left
  • Teachers are the most important to student success
  • Teachers are catchall solutions to all of society’s problems
  • After COVID-19 teachers are dealing with learning loss and mental health crisis in students

 

Representative Gina Hinojosa, HD 49

  • We don’t have teacher shortage in Texas, teachers have chosen to walk away
  • Not just losing teachers, losing people on the campus as well
  • Budget cuts have added to loss of staff in schools

 

Representative Terry Mesa, HD 105

  • First job was as a teacher
  • Texas ranks in bottom half of states for teacher pay
  • Talarico’s bill would raise Texas to top 10 States for teacher pay
  • Teacher salaries are $7,500 below national average
  • Veteran teachers are paid $13,000 less than veteran teachers in other states
  • Teachers are leaving the state to find better paying jobs

 

Arati Singh, Austin ISD School Board President

  • Talarico’s bill will help address rising property values in Texas
  • Texas ranks near the bottom of per pupal funding
  • Basic allotment for Austin ISD is $6,130 hasn’t been raised since 2019
  • Austin ISD has lost 1/3 of its teachers in the past 4 years
  • Increased likely hood that an uncertified teacher is teaching
  • Need to reduce reliance on recapture
  • High poverty districts are now paying into recapture
  • Texas cannot rely on sporadic Federal relief

 

Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, HD 116

  • We have an unprecedented opportunity to fix budget
  • Texas does not just have $33 Billion in checking, and it also has about $18 Billion in savings
  • Education is just a footnote in budget that is addressing teacher pay, needs to be more
  • We are going to respect public education and respect our teachers
  • No more fundamental way to address problems than to invest in public education
  • Want everyone to know that Public Education is a Democratic value

 

Deanna Perkins, Leander ISD

  • Educators grossly underpaid
  • Work more than 40hrs
  • Spend their own money to provide for kids
  • Time has been taken away due to HB 4545
  • Investing in educators is equal to investing in children
  • She debated not coming back as teacher due to safety and pay concerns
  • There is no teacher shortage, pay is too low to be a teacher

 

Representative Talarico

  • Teachers are the most important profession, there is no profession without teachers
  • If teachers are hero’s, we should pay them as hero’s
  • Bernal and Rep. Alan are also Coauthoring
  • Thanks to all that are here and special thanks to Chairmen Tracy King
  • This bill is focused on current teachers
  • We still need COLA for retired teachers
  • Texas leads the way, it’s time for Texas to lead the way on teacher pay

 

Questions & Answers

 

Q: Can you fix the way that schools are funded?

  • Talarico- yes, it’s not the only solution we are proposing just one piece of the puzzle

 

Q: What is the plan to help school districts sustain a huge bump in pay for all teachers?

  • Talarico- this bill will be funneling pay raise through different allotments through school finance formula; most legislators here support increase in basic allotment as well, which would help reduce pressure of recapture

 

Q: What is the fiscal note on it?

  • Talarico- won’t get fiscal note until bill goes to committee; have done estimates regarding how much bill would cost; the best way to maintain property tax relief is to invest in public schools; shrinking state support in public education for the state is the primary reason for increase in property taxes over the last two decades

 

Q: Comment that it is a large increase in average teacher salary

  • Talarico- teachers in rural communities fall far short of teacher average; goal of this funding is to make sure we don’t leave rural teachers behind

 

Q: What if republicans say $5k?

  • Talarico- This is our starting proposal
    • Cannot do anything without the other party
    • Hoping to get it as close to 15k as possible
    • With this bill we could also entice teacher from other states to teach
  • Martinez Fischer- it’s a game of simple math how do you get to 76; if we’re going to spend this money, we need bipartisan support
  • Mesa- republican members on pub ED committee show a lot of support

 

Q: Had any discussion with speaker or LT governor?

  • Talarico-yes, hopefully the speaker will lead the house on teacher pay

 

Q: Have you reached out to gov office?

  • Talarico- No not yet, that stage in legislative process happens much later

 

Q: How would this address minimum salary for teachers?

  • Talarico- hopeful increase in pay will attract the best and brightest to become a teacher