What does teacher pay look like in Texas?

One splashy idea for Texas is to spend some of its surplus on $15,000 raises for all teachers.

The Democrat-led proposal may not have legs in the GOP-controlled Legislature, but it could fuel conversations as state leaders say they want to address concerns about an educator exodus.

Already, the Senate’s starting point state budget for 2024-25 pledges “to provide increased compensation and benefits for classroom teachers.” The House’s proposal includes, among several goals, funding for unspecified “public education funding increases.”

Austin Democratic Rep. James Talarico’s proposal released this week would give across-the-board raises and increase the state’s minimum salary schedule, which he argued is pushing teachers out of the classroom.

So how are Texas teachers paid? It depends on several factors.

Where are Texas teachers paid more?

How much a teacher earns is tied to where they work.

District pay is often determined by whether it’s in an urban, suburban or rural area, which aligns with the varying cost-of-living across Texas. Those in city centers — with tough competition from neighboring schools — tend to offer higher salaries.

Teachers in major suburban districts tend to earn the most, with an average salary of nearly $60,000 in 2020 – the most recent available data. Urban teachers follow with an average salary of roughly $58,000.

Teachers in rural districts, meanwhile, had the lowest average at just over $51,000.

The Texas Education Agency divides the state into 20 regions.

Teachers in the Houston region are generally paid the highest, earning an average of $62,589 last school year. North Texas averages are also near the top of the list. Teachers in the Richardson region – which includes Dallas – are paid $60,501 on average, according to data from the 2021-22 school year.

The areas surrounding Abilene and Mount Pleasant have some of the lowest paid teachers, with average salaries of just under $51,000.

Teacher experience

How long an educator has been in the classroom makes a difference as salary schedules often increase pay with years of experience.

Across the state, beginning teachers averaged a starting salary of roughly $51,000 last year. Those who had put in three decades worth of years in the classroom were earning about $20,000 more than that on average.

The state’s current minimum salary schedule for a 10-month contract is $33,660, according to the Texas Education Agency.

But some districts in Texas are moving away from this salary scale design.

Pay-for-performance

Dallas ISD was among the first to create a pay-for-performance system for educators. DISD teachers can earn huge salary increases if they prove to administrators that they are highly effective at their jobs.

A small number of so-called “master teachers” in DISD can earn six-figure salaries. Meanwhile, those deemed “unsatisfactory” were paid $47,000.

Legislators approved a historic school finance package in 2019 that includes funds for similar teacher incentive programs across the state. More than 370 districts are participating in the Teacher Incentive Allotment program, according to the state, putting them on a path to award highly ranked educators with bonuses to teach at impoverished or rural campuses.

While not an exact replica of Dallas ISD’s compensation program, Texas created a permanent funding source that allows more districts to set up their own pay-for-performance models.