Salaries and incentive pay

YOUR JOB Salaries

The Texas Education Code establishes a state minimum salary schedule that must be implemented by Texas public school districts for specific public education professionals: Texas classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time counselors and full-time school nurses (RNs only). There is no state minimum salary for any other position. Provisions regarding the

state minimum salary schedule do not apply to charter schools and may be modified by school districts with a District of Innovation plan.

State minimum salary schedule

Thanks to a TCTA-drafted provision in state law, the minimum salary is tied to increases in the basic allotment, the basic level of school funding. Districts that pay above the state minimum salary schedule are not required to pass through step increases as long as each covered employee is paid at least the state minimum for each step for each 10 months of employment. Salaries may even be reduced subject to the restrictions below, so it is important to be aware of any local polices relating to compensation.

Compensation increases

HB 3 required districts (including charter schools and DOIs) to increase compensation for non-administrative employees using at least 30% of any new, additional funding. This provision is ongoing, with the intent that increased state funding in future years will result in higher salaries.

Salary reductions

Several decisions of the commissioner of education provide that any salary reduction must be adopted no later than the date that an employee can resign from a district without penalty (45 calendar days prior to the first day of instruction). A district that intends to reduce the salary of an individual teacher or other educator subject to the minimum salary schedule must notify the employee by the same deadline. School districts enacting a widespread reduction in salaries for classroom teachers due to financial conditions also must reduce the salaries of administrators and other professional employees by a commensurate percentage.

STATE MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE FOR 2020-21

Years Experience*

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 and over

Minimum Salary

$33,660 $34,390 $35,100 $35,830 $37,350 $38,880 $40,410 $41,830 $43,170 $44,440 $45,630 $46,770 $47,850 $48,850 $49,810 $50,710 $51,570 $52,370 $53,140 $53,860 $54,540

*Total years of creditable experience as of Sept. 1.

INCENTIVE PAY House Bill 3, passed in 2019, provided a teacher incentive allotment for school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to use with optional locally developed systems that designate a certified teacher as a master, exemplary or recognized teacher. The designation, which can last up to five years, must be based on single or multi-year appraisals that comply with T-TESS or a locally developed appraisal process and performance criteria developed by the district- and campus-level committees established under law and adopted by the board of trustees, as well as the performance of a teacher’s students. The commissioner of education established performance and validity standards for these designation systems, and local designation systems must be approved by the Texas Education Agency to receive a teacher incentive allotment for each designated classroom teacher. Regardless of whether a district has an approved local teacher designation system, a teacher holding a National Board Certification is automatically designated as recognized. The commissioner’s performance standards may not require a district to use a state assessment instrument to evaluate teacher performance. Districts and open-enrollment charters with approved teacher designation systems, which the commissioner has ensured meet statutory requirements and prioritize high-needs campuses, are eligible to receive an allotment for each designated teacher: • Master teacher: $12,000, or an amount not to exceed $32,000 (as determined by a high needs and rural multiplier) • Exemplary teacher: $6,000, or an amount not to exceed $18,000 (as determined by a high needs and rural multiplier) • Recognized teacher: $3,000, or an amount not to exceed $9,000 (as determined by a high needs and rural multiplier) A district must annually certify that at least 90%of the allotment was used for compensation of teachers employed at the designated teacher’s campus. If a designated teacher moves to another district, the allotment follows the teacher, regardless of whether the new district has an approved system.