The Facts
- Becoming a teacher in Texas requires a lengthy certification process that makes it difficult for otherwise qualified individuals to enter the teaching profession.
- Texas maintains a state minimum salary schedule that encourages school districts to give annual raises to all instructors in the district based on longevity within the profession.
- As of 2010, approximately 27% of Texas teachers have a master’s degree and receive an extra $1,423 per year, equaling more than $124.5 million spent on a method of compensation that has no correlation with higher student achievement.
- Educators in Texas are generally granted “term contracts” that serve a function similar to that which teacher tenure provides in other states.
- It is extremely difficult to dismiss ineffective teachers in Texas, as a lengthy notification and appeals process is afforded for the dismissal of any contract employee.
Recommendations
- Texas should lower barriers to entry into the teaching profession. Ideally, this would include allowing individuals with strong credentials in a pertinent subject area to get in front of a classroom in a few weeks instead of having to go through a year-long certification process.
- Eliminate Texas’ minimum salary schedule and local salary schedules based on longevity to allow school officials more freedom at the local level to target resources at local needs.
- Discourage school districts from paying teachers more for possession of a master’s degree.
- Remove state mandates and term contracts that make it difficult for school administrators to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom.
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