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When she first began teaching 13 years ago, Katrina Rasmussen, a studio art teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in the Dallas Independent School District, said her salary was enough to make a living. But between rising inflation and minimal teacher salary raises, Rasmussen and her husband, who is also a public school teacher, now both rely on second jobs to keep their family afloat.
According to Rasmussen, numerous teachers she is acquainted with have commenced their search for jobs outside the field of education. This decision is not driven by their lack of interest in teaching anymore, clarified Rasmussen.
“It boils down to economics for us,” she stated. “If we cannot adequately support our own families, constantly grappling with the challenge of putting food on the table and fueling our vehicles month after month, it takes a toll on us, especially considering the already demanding nature of the job.”
Texas teachers — whose average salaries are $7,652 less than the national average, according to the National Education Association — were the only state employees who didn’t receive a raise during this year’s regular legislative session.
During the regular session, lawmakers were unable to pass legislation addressing the top three priorities of public school administrators. Efforts to raise teacher salaries, increase the per-student funding for schools, and reform the funding formula for the public school system all came to naught due to a political deadlock caused by disagreements over school vouchers. These vouchers would permit families to utilize state funds to cover the expenses of their children’s private education.
Now, as attention swivels to a long-awaited special lawmaking session to tie loose ends in education, it’s unclear whether raises or any other public school funding measures will even be on the table. Public school advocates have worried that teacher raises would be used as a bargaining chip to reach an agreement on school vouchers. But the only education priority Gov. Greg Abbott listed in the agenda for the special session was education savings accounts, a form of school vouchers (other items in the agenda including border security and vaccine mandates).
However, even if legislators manage to include salary increases in the discussion, some teachers argue that they would prefer to forgo a higher salary than witness the implementation of school vouchers in Texas. Advocates of voucher programs claim that it would grant Texans the freedom to select their preferred method of educating their children, while critics express concerns about the potential reduction of funds from the state’s public education system.
Rasmussen expressed, “In the unfortunate event that I have to choose between vouchers and continuing in a job that I am passionate about, I will have no choice but to resign. This decision goes against my personal values and cannot be compromised.”
Public education funding and vouchers
Numerous educators hold a differing opinion regarding the utilization of taxpayer funds to support private education, as they believe it may result in the redirection of financial resources away from public schools.
Stacey Ward, a fifth grade science teacher at Centennial Elementary School in Humble ISD, said she worries that public school funding would be siphoned off to private schools at a time when some Texas schools are going into deficit budgets to keep up with costs.
Despite being a teacher for 28 years, Ward frequently covers teaching expenses that are not included in the school’s budget. Additionally, she expressed her opposition to a vouchers bill, even if it meant receiving a higher salary.
Ward expressed that their concern with vouchers arises from the significant expenses incurred every year on various supplies like crayons, colored pencils, construction paper, glue sticks, scissors, plastic cups, and other materials necessary for science experiments. They mentioned that if these expenses were not a burden, they wouldn’t have an issue with vouchers. However, the underlying problem lies in the inadequate funding of the public school system.
The state’s financial allocation per student, known as the basic allotment, was last increased in 2020 to $6,160. Supporters of public schools argue that this sum has failed to keep pace with inflation.
On Saturday, hundreds of teachers, school administrators and parents rallied at the Texas Capitol against vouchers — and for increased public school funding. State Reps. Gina Hinajosa, Vikki Goodwin, Donna Howard and Sheryl Cole, all Democrats from Austin, were also in attendance.
Leander ISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing said at the rally that his district is “strongly opposed” to any form of voucher that would feed public dollars to private schools.
Gearing emphasized that we would not accept vouchers regardless of the amount of money they offer us.
Who would benefit?
Jason Forbis, a first grade teacher at Spring Valley Elementary in Midway ISD, said he, too, would rather not get a raise than see vouchers pass.
Forbis stated that when you have the freedom to make choices, you also have the responsibility to deal with the consequences of those choices. So, if you decide to enroll your child in a private school, it becomes your responsibility and choice to bear the financial burden of their education. Forbis believes that public funds, which are intended to support public schools, should not be allocated to parents who choose to send their children to private or charter schools. This is because our existing public schools are already facing financial shortages.
According to Mandy Drogin, the campaign director of an education initiative for the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation, supporters of school vouchers believe that parents should not face restrictions based on their socioeconomic status when choosing a school for their children. They argue that parents should have the freedom to select the public or private school that aligns best with their child’s needs.
According to Drogin, it is important to recognize that every child may not thrive in every school. He asserts that forcing children to attend a particular school solely based on their residential location contradicts the cherished value of freedom.
Concerns were raised by educators in rural and economically disadvantaged regions of the state, who expressed worry that a voucher program would have limited benefits, if any, for only a few students in their district.
Education savings accounts, the voucher program championed by Abbott, would give families who exit the state’s public education system access to a certain amount of state money to pay for private school tuition, home-schooling costs or other educational expenses. Senate Bill 8, introduced by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, was the primary savings account proposal on the table during the regular session and would have given families up to $8,000 per student.
But opponents of the bill argue that $8,000 would not cover full tuition at many private schools. The average cost of private education in Texas is $10,400, according to the Education Data Initiative.
Veronica Borrego, an educational diagnostician for Brownsville ISD, works in a district where 26.5% of residents live in poverty. Barely any families would be able to afford to pay the difference between the voucher allotment and potential private school tuition costs, Borrego said.
Drogin mentioned that supporters of vouchers are aiming for a bill that allocates around $10,000 per student in the special session. This is because they have noticed that numerous private schools already provide scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds. Advocates believe that vouchers would be particularly advantageous for low-income or special needs students who are currently not receiving adequate support from their local schools.
However, Borrego, a former special education teacher, expresses concern that private schools are not legally obligated to offer specific educational services to children with disabilities, unlike public schools. Borrego notes that when students transfer to her district’s public schools during the school year, it is often due to their special needs or behavioral challenges not being appropriately addressed in private schools.
According to Borrego, doctors and therapists from outside the district frequently recommend their patients to choose the public education setting due to its exceptional services for students.
Despite Borrego’s statement that she would prefer the elimination of school vouchers over receiving a salary increase, she has started to consider leaving the teaching profession entirely.
She expressed her deep sadness about the current state of affairs, confessing her genuine love for her job. However, despite holding a master’s degree, she finds herself struggling financially. It’s disheartening to be part of a profession that is responsible for shaping every other profession, yet feels constantly overlooked and undervalued.
Jerrica Liggins, secondary curriculum director for Paris ISD, said she fields questions from teachers at almost every meeting about salary raises. After state funding for teacher raises fell through during the regular session over the vouchers debate, Paris ISD offered teachers a 3% raise earlier this year and went into a deficit budget.
Liggins joined forces with multiple teachers from her district to attend the rally on Saturday.
Liggins expressed their frustration with the ongoing discussion about vouchers among teachers, questioning why their value as educators is still being linked to vouchers that won’t even benefit the students in their area.
A decline in standing
After the onslaught of the last few years — stalled raises, health worries during the pandemic, the injection of culture wars into the classroom — teachers said they feel respect for their profession is declining. In a 2022 survey, 77% of teachers said they seriously considered leaving the job.
Kristen Harris, a humanities teacher in the gifted and talented program at Walnut Grove High School in Prosper ISD, said it felt like “a slap in the face” when lawmakers did not grant teachers raises this year. Still, Harris said she would not support a bill tying salary raises with a voucher program, and neither would many of her colleagues.
Harris expressed that while they desire increased funds, they refuse to compromise their values, dedication, and the well-being of their students. Placing them in such a position is seen as disrespectful and regrettable.
With the state projecting a $18.6 billion budget surplus for the 2024-25 cycle, some teachers said they feel like lawmakers are holding raises “hostage” for little reason. Lakeisha Patterson, a third grade teacher at Deepwater Elementary in Deer Park ISD, said she doesn’t think a voucher program and raises should come as a package deal — and doesn’t think teachers should feel guilty for pushing back, since the state has the money to fund raises.
Patterson expressed, “We have numerous roles to fulfill, acting as counselors, educators, nurses, therapists, and P.E. coaches. We are expected to handle all of these responsibilities.” Patterson further added, “However, it is disheartening that when we request fundamental respect, recognition, and fair compensation, we are often disregarded or belittled.”
Sherry Miller, a music teacher at Skipcha Elementary School in Killeen ISD, said she’s seen teachers leave the profession sooner and sooner over her 39-year career. Her district is facing a large teacher shortage that has only grown worse in recent years, Miller said.
Last year, Abbott assembled a task force to examine the state’s worsening teacher shortage. In February, the group of educators and administrators recommended several policy initiatives, including a salary raise, mentorship programs and more sustainable workloads to respect teachers’ time. Lawmakers during this year’s regular session failed to pass legislation in response to the task force’s recommendations.
Miller mentioned that when she initially began teaching, it was not unusual to come across educators who had dedicated over three or four decades to their profession. However, at present, she finds herself among the limited number of experienced teachers still working at her school.
However, Miller stated that she remains proud to be a teacher in Texas.
Miller expressed her desire to see the teaching profession regain the high level of respect it once held during her own upbringing. She believes that restoring this respect would help retain more teachers in the profession.
Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
