'Crisis in the teacher workforce': State task force calls for higher pay, more training

Keri Heath
Austin American-Statesman
Teacher Harold Adams passes out worksheets to Beyonce Reyes and Pedro De La Rosa at Mendez Middle School on Jan. 12. A state task force has recommended steps to help with teacher recruitment and retention.

Higher pay, expanded training and a high-quality work environment should help tame a growing teacher retention and recruitment challenge in the state, according to a task force of teachers and school administrators set up by the governor to find solutions.

The task force's report, released Friday, comes during a legislative session particularly focused on increasing public education funding and giving schools more resources to tackle post-pandemic learning challenges and teacher attrition.

Lawmakers are also debating how to spend a historic $32.7 billion surplus, which many education advocates are eyeing for school improvements.

Gov. Greg Abbott directed Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath to create the Teacher Vacancy Task Force, which has been meeting since March, to develop recommendations lawmakers could implement this legislative session to attract more people to teaching and ease widespread educator retention issues.

Of the state’s 370,431 teachers, nearly 12%, or 42,839 people, quit in the 2021-22 school year, according to Texas Education Agency data.

That rate had generally hovered around 10.5% since 2011, when the attrition rate jumped up from 9%, according to TEA data.

In the Austin district, more than 1,700 employees — including 875 teachers — resigned between July 2021 and June 2022, according to district data. The district employs about 11,000 employees, including 5,500 teachers.

Teachers play a key role in the state’s education, Abbott said in a statement Friday.

“Working with the Texas Legislature, we will develop and implement strategies that attract, retain and support highly qualified educators to provide students across the state with even greater opportunities to learn and grow,” Abbott said.

To do so, the task force recommended raising salaries, setting a minimum salary, reducing the cost of health insurance and creating mental health and child care supports, according to the report.

The task force also suggested mentorship or residency programs to help districts recruit teachers.

For retention, the task force recommended building more planning time into the workday and creating administration-led support structures for teachers.

These are all things teachers and many districts already know they need, said Ken Zarifis, president of Education Austin, which advocates for Austin district employees.

“How you fill the vacancies in public schools is to pay people more and treat them with respect,” Zarifis said. “This is not rocket science.”

Zarifis recommended increasing the basic student allotment — the $6,160 per student the state allocates to districts annually — as a way to increase teacher pay. The allotment is one of the main funding sources for teacher pay.

That allotment often increases with allowances for special education, school safety and other specific costs.

“I am hopeful that both sides of the aisle see a real need right now because of the crisis,” Zarifis said. “Sadly, they didn't see the crisis that existed before.”

More support for teachers

Several lawmakers have filed bills that propose raising the basic allotment to $7,075.

What’s good about the report is its inclusion of teacher voices, said Natalie Brown, Texas policy program manager with Teacher Plus, a teacher advocacy group. The task force's recommendations are achievable, she said.

Many of the suggestions are already in place, such as a mentorship program and the teacher incentive allotment, which rewards high-performing teachers, Brown said. More money and better systems could improve those programs, she said.

“We really have to think holistically about how we can support teachers,” Brown said.

However, for some, the task force's recommendations don't go far enough.

With $32.7 billion in state budget surplus money available, the report missed an opportunity to demand dramatic change, said Holly Eaton, director of professional development and advocacy for the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.

“Instead of making bold recommendations that meet the severity of the need demonstrated by the current crisis in the teacher workforce, many of the recommendations nibble around the edges of existing programs and constructs,” Eaton said.

What’s not in the report is what the public could do to improve the value of the profession, Brown said.

“As a public, how can we elevate and talk about the teaching profession in a way that inspires our young people?” Brown asked.

The Texas House Committee on Public Education is scheduled to begin meeting Tuesday, when members will discuss funding for the TEA.