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As school districts grapple with the effects of a teacher shortage in Texas, Humble and New Caney ISDs are keeping positions filled by increasing teacher salaries while prioritizing retention and recruitment.

Meanwhile, the state legislature continues to look at ways to limit standardized testing and encourage other incentive programs to reduce turnover among teachers, said state Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, a member of the Public Education Committee and former HISD board of trustee member.

“Children spend more time with their teacher throughout the year than they do with their families,” said Huberty, whose district is located within the Lake Houston area. “We have to make sure that we take care of our teachers and reward them for the job that they’re willing to do. We know that it’s always a balancing act in funding and making sure that we provide the right resources.”

Local districts address shortage

HISD is adjusting strategies to prevent teacher shortage issues by expanding its participation in job fairs outside of Texas in Utah, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Michigan, said Rick Gardner, HISD associate superintendent for human resources.

Recruiting teachers from out of state is a growing trend—the number of out-of-state teachers receiving Texas certification increased from 2,370 teachers in 2011-12 to 3,875 teachers in 2014-15, according to the TEA.

HISD moved up its schedule for approving the teacher compensation plan because candidates are more likely to accept a position if they know their salaries, Gardner said. The district also moved its Teacher Job Fair from May to April to have more time to fill vacancies.

Angela Conrad, vice president for the HISD board of trustees, said districts should focus on recruitment as much as retention. Conrad conducted research this year with the Texas Association of School Boards through a yearlong program called Leadership TASB to help districts proactively deal with shortages.

“School boards everywhere tend to focus a lot on retention—examining their district’s teacher turnover rates compared to other districts and state averages,” Conrad said. “Our research found that it is equally important to focus on recruitment of teachers and their teacher induction process.”

Looking to keep teachers from wandering to neighboring districts, both HISD and NCISD have increased teacher compensation over each of the past four years. Between 2011-12 and 2015-16, HISD’s budget for teacher base pay increased by $33 million while NCISD increased teacher salary spending by nearly $17 million, according to TEA documents.

The starting salary for an HISD teacher has grown by nearly $10,000 since 2012 to $52,300 for 2016-17. NCISD has offered 4 percent raises in consecutive years, pushing its starting salary to $53,100, nearly $1,000 more than the average teacher salary in Texas.   

“We’re in the top quartile in salaries for the Houston area,” NCISD Superintendent Kenn Franklin said. “Our board has supported us in paying teachers the way we need to pay teachers and really putting the value on what they do. We haven’t felt that crunch nearly as bad as some districts because we do have a salary structure that’s very competitive.”

State and national issue

Nationwide, 500,000 teachers exit the industry each year, costing school districts as much as $2 billion annually, according to a report from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

The problem has been exacerbated in Texas, where rapid population growth in metropolitan areas, such as Harris County, creates a higher demand for teachers each year, Huberty said. Just in Texas, the lofty turnover rate costs school districts $235 million annually, the report stated.  

“Every year when 80,000 new kids enter the system [in Texas], that creates thousands of jobs that need to be filled just to educate those 80,000,” said Gary Godsey, executive director of Association of Texas Professional Educators. “That’s about the size of a Fort Worth school district coming onboard every single year in Texas.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, Texas had federally recognized teacher shortages in science, technology, engineering, math and bilingual courses—such as English as a second language—as well as career and technical education, computer science and special education on the elementary and secondary levels for 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Finding highly qualified teachers is challenging in the competitive Texas teacher market, Gardner said. However, HISD and NCISD have been able to fill all of their vacant positions consistently by increasing pay and proactive recruiting strategies.

Legislative solutions

Increased pressure associated with tying job performance to standardized testing scores has also pushed teachers out of the industry, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education report. Huberty said he wants state lawmakers to address the issue during the next legislative session in 2017.

Huberty also expects discussions in 2017 on student loan incentive programs for Title I schools, which have a harder time filling vacancies than affluent schools.

In 2013, Huberty authored House Bill 5, which reduced the amount of end-of-course exams that high school students would have to take from 15 to five. In 2015, he authored HB 743, which limits the amount of time that can be spent on testing.

He said he hopes the Legislature limits end-of-course exams from five to three next session.

“The reality is I’ve got two kids in school—I know it’s a problem,” Huberty said. “Standardized testing is [hurting] the schools. We’re so hung up on those test scores that it’s a disincentive for teachers to get out there and really want to teach and be a part of the process.”