(WBAP/KLIF) — A Texas teachers union is upset that the Special Legislative Session called by Governor Greg Abbott has no mention of teacher pay raises on the agenda. The Texas Legislature is tackling the issue of school vouchers during a third special session this week, however that has rubbed statewide teachers the wrong way.
Nicole Hill with Texas-AFT knows of the governor’s desire to fund a voucher program, however teachers fear being slighted based on the subject of teacher pay raises missing from the special session agenda. Hill says the legislature also continued a tradition of passing new, unfunded mandates for school districts to implement. She stated that the Legislature failed to increase the basic statewide allotment for public schools, which hasn’t happened since 2019.
Hill notes that teacher workloads have increased, however their pay has not which has resulted in educators struggling to make ends meet as their paychecks haven’t kept pace with inflation. She admits that lawmakers could still file bills that address teacher pay, however as it stands now, it’s not the main focus. She says school employees are counting on increased district funding to provide the desired raises.
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