Education

Salary Windfall

By David J. Hoff — June 21, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

When Texas legislators adjourned in May, many of them thought that their plans to give every teacher a $3,000 pay raise had failed along with their efforts to rewrite the school finance system.

BRIC ARCHIVE

Thanks to an alert teachers’ union leader, though, about 10 percent of the state’s teachers will be getting a 2.8 percent salary increase. It seems an all-but-forgotten budget rule guarantees them one.

The rule orders the state to increase the minimum salary schedule whenever the legislature increases per-pupil spending. The two-year budget the legislature passed before adjourning last month will increase spending by $110 per pupil in the 2006 and 2007 fiscal years. The state’s total K-12 spending will be $23.2 billion over the biennium, an 8 percent increase.

“Given this session, we’re proud to have anything good for anybody,” said John Cole, the president of the Texas Federation of Teachers, who was unhappy that the broader attempts to revise the school finance system failed.

In a June 9 letter to Texas Commissioner of Education Shirley Neeley, Mr. Cole pointed out that the spending increase triggers a raise in the minimum salary schedule under a 1995 rule that ensures the teacher-pay scale will rise when the state increases per-pupil spending.

The rule has been waived in the past, sometimes with the union’s consent. In 1999 and 2001, the union agreed to a waiver because the legislature was awarding across-the-board increases in salaries or benefits.

In 2003, the legislature—acting despite the union’s objection—put a clause into the spending law that waived the rule, even though it didn’t offer other increases.

“This time around, the gang that can’t shoot straight was in charge of the legislature, and they just forgot” to waive the rule, said Mr. Cole, whose 50,000-member union is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.

After reviewing Mr. Cole’s letter, Ms. Neeley announced a new salary schedule on June 14. A rookie teacher will earn at least $24,910—a $670 raise—and a 20-year veteran will be paid a minimum of $41,930—a $1,130 increase.

While most districts pay above the minimum salary, Mr. Cole estimates that 10 percent of the state’s teachers are paid either the state minimum or under a local plan that guarantees them a specific amount above the minimum.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
IT Infrastructure & Management Webinar
The Reality of Change: How Embracing and Planning for Change Can Shape Your Edtech Strategy
Promethean edtech experts delve into the reality of tech change and explore how embracing and planning for it can be your most powerful strategy for maximizing ROI.
Content provided by Promethean

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Education Week News Quiz: Nov. 26, 2024
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2018, in Washington.
Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon attends a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 16, 2018, in Washington.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Education Briefly Stated: October 23, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: October 2, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 18, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read