One in 3 Texas teachers moonlights to make ends meet, a new Texas State Teachers Association survey finds.
Those teachers work about 13 hours a week at their out-of-school jobs and an additional 17 hours a week doing school-related work outside regular school hours.
Most of the respondents—59 percent—were major income-earners for their families. Seventy-nine percent were women, and 21 percent were men.
The survey, which was conducted by researchers at Sam Houston State University, is not scientific, with just 837 of the union’s 60,000 teacher members responding. The average starting salary for a new teacher in Texas is $38,828, although the minimum starting salary is $28,080 for a 10-month contract. The average teacher salary statewide in 2015-16 was $52,090, said the Texas Association of School Boards.
