Senate Bill 26 would help Texas “attract and retain the best educators,” bill author Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said on the Senate floor. The proposal will be sent to the Texas House, where a separate teacher compensation and school funding bill is being considered.
“We'll end up negotiating those differences, but we want to make sure in the Senate that we're listening to our districts, that we're listening to our teachers, and that we are providing direct funding, incentives and compensation,” Creighton told reporters shortly after the Senate passed SB 26.
The overview
The bill proposes creating a permanent teacher retention allotment, which would be used to raise salaries for teachers with at least three years of experience. Creighton set aside about $4 billion for the new allotment and said lawmakers could adjust how much is spent in future sessions.
He told reporters Texas “ranks 15th in the nation in starting teacher salaries” but falls behind other states when it comes to paying experienced teachers.
The average Texas teacher was paid $62,474 during the 2023-24 school year, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. Nationwide, the average teacher salary was $71,699 during the same period, the National Education Association estimated.
Creighton said SB 26 would help close a pay gap between urban or suburban and rural teachers. Starting salaries in rural school districts tend to be around $30,000-40,000, he said.
In districts with 5,000 students or less, teachers with three to four years of experience would receive a $5,000 raise, while those with at least five years of experience would receive a $10,000 boost. In districts with over 5,000 students, educators with three to four years of experience would get a $2,500 raise, and more experienced teachers would earn a $5,500 raise, according to the bill.
Nearly 80% of Texas teachers are currently eligible for the proposed pay raise, according to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s office. SB 26 would also allow teachers to enroll their children in local pre-K programs for free.
Zooming in
“We’re trying to make it so people can afford to teach where they live,” Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, said on the Senate floor. “[Teachers] shouldn’t feel like they have to drive an hour or more just to get a professional salary that they can so they can raise their family.”
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, said experienced teachers in the smaller communities she represents west of Houston and along the Texas coast are leaving their school districts to work in suburban or urban areas.
“Because we’re close to Houston, you’re seeing some of our more senior, veteran and best teachers... leave, and it’s a financial decision for them,” Kolkhorst said. “I do not blame them—they’re trying to make ends meet with their families.”
During a Feb. 20 hearing on the bill, Pamela McPeters, who handles government relations for the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, urged senators to consider funding more support for other school staff.
“We especially appreciate that the importance of experienced teachers is recognized, as many districts focus on new teacher salaries and salary growth tends to flatten over time,” McPeters said. “We would like to work with you on balancing the needs of districts and retaining essential professionals and support staff.”
SB 26 would eliminate a restriction in Texas law requiring that at least 30% of any increase to the basic allotment—the base amount of money schools receive per student—be used to raise salaries for full-time employees, including teachers.
“Districts [would be] free to shore up any salary needs for administrators, support staff, librarians, bus drivers, janitorial service [and] counselors,” Creighton said. “That burden will be lifted, because we're shifting billions of dollars of compensation for teachers to the state as a responsibility permanently in the budget.”
Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, said he was concerned that the legislature has never given school support staff a direct pay raise.
“Our teachers absolutely deserve a pay raise, but our support staff also deserve dedication and attention from the legislature,” Miles said on the Senate floor Feb. 26.
More details
Creighton also proposed spending over $700 million to expand the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program designed to put teachers on the path to a six-figure salary.
Under SB 26, educators recognized under the Teacher Incentive Allotment could earn up to $36,000 on top of their general salary. The current maximum boost is $32,000.
About one-third of teachers at a participating school can qualify for performance-based raises from the TIA. Creighton said during the Feb. 20 hearing that SB 26 would expand the program to half of a participating school’s teachers.
“That is just tremendous for what our Texas teachers can earn,” Creighton said Feb. 26. “[It shows] how we are committed to driving dollars to the classroom to make sure there's order, there's a reasonable learning environment, and our teachers are paid exactly what their profession and their hard work deserves.”
Creighton said he would file additional legislation on classroom safety, discipline, teacher certification and more in the coming days to create a “teacher bill of rights.”
“This will be a legislative session that's historic for the teachers of Texas,” he said.
