House Bill 1548 proposes allocating part of the Texas budget’s $32.7 billion surplus for teacher and school support staff pay raises to help combat the nationwide teacher shortage. 

On Jan. 24, James Talarico, state representative and UT alumnus, filed H.B. 1548, which called for a $15,000 pay increase for teachers along with a 25% pay increase for supporting staff. Talarico, a former teacher himself, said his proposition could help educators across the state achieve financial security.

“When I was a teacher I struggled to make ends meet,” Talarico said. “I had co-workers who would drive Ubers at night or had to sell their own blood plasma to make extra money.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas ranks within the top five states for most teachers employed at 4,150 teachers, but falls within the lowest bracket for average wage at $64,330. 

Talarico said his proposed use of the budget surplus leaves plenty of funds for other projects.

“We’ve got $47 billion extra money if you combine the budget surplus and the rainy day fund,” Talarico said. “We could give every teacher in the state a $15,000 pay raise, 25% bump for all support staff and still have more than half that money leftover.”

The bill seeks to address the statewide teacher shortage. Talarico said in addition to new complications, a lack of sufficient pay turns people away from the profession. 

“There’s standardized testing, there’s the state accountability system, there are these culture wars in which teachers are accused of indoctrinating or grooming students, there’s this mental health crisis, this learning loss that’s putting pressure on teachers in the classroom,” Talarico said. “(Fixing) working conditions and workload are a big part of solving the teacher shortage crisis, as well as just generally respecting teachers again.”

As for the bill’s next steps, Talarico said the bill’s success requires support from his colleagues in the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Greg Abbott.

In a press release prior to the filling of Talarico’s bill, Abbott “declared school finance reform to be the top priority for Texas House members.”

Talarico said students can show support for the bill through contacting legislative officials.

“I need everyone who supports a pay raise for teachers to contact their legislator, their state representative, their senator and demand an across the board $15,000 pay raise for teachers,” Talarico said. “Students can contact not only their state representative that represents UT, but also their state representative back home, in whatever town they come from.”

Talarico said he hopes this bill shows a dedication to change the culture around teaching in Texas. 

“Help is on the way,” Talarico said. “You have friends and allies at the Texas Capitol who are fighting for you every day to get you the pay and the support you need to do your job, because it’s the most important job in the world.”