Texas House Democrats call for $14.5B boost for education

The sun sets over the Texas Capitol Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, in Austin. ( Jon Shapley / Houston Chronicle ) The sun sets over the Texas Capitol Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, in Austin. ( Jon Shapley / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff / Houston Chronicle Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Texas House Democrats call for $14.5B boost for education 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN — House Democrats say they’re on board with Republicans wanting to spend $3.7 billion to give teachers a pay raise, but are pushing to spread the pay bumps to school support staff, too.

The proposal from the House Democratic Caucus is the third and latest plan in the Texas Legislature this year to put more money into teacher’s pockets amid a growing acknowledgment of high demands on those in the profession and lagging teacher pay compared to other states.

“We know that our schools are woefully underfunded and we know that we will never get the results that our kids deserve by starving our schools,” said Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an Austin Democrat and former school board president who orchestrated the proposal.

Exactly how Democrats want to divvy out the pay raises is uncertain. Democrats have several proposals to pay educators more and stressed it is key that others who work in schools also see a pay bump, including counselors, bus drivers and custodial workers.

The Senate, led by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is proposing a $5,000 across-the-board pay raise to all educators. Some House Republicans favored using merit to dictate who should get raises.

Related: Texas Teachers: Don’t count on that $5,000 raise just yet

House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, also a Republican, has said it is time teachers earned more. He has said he wants school districts to decide how to spread out money for teacher pay raises, but stressed Thursday that he wants members of both parties to unify behind a large education plan Republicans expect to release this month.

“When it comes to educating our children, there is no Republican or Democrat plan. There is only a Texas plan,” he said in a statement.

The Texas State Teachers Association applauded the proposal but said it would only support permanent, across-the-board pay raises funded by the state. The group opposes merit raises that would reward teachers based on performance, and president Noel Candelaria said the state needs to close the pay gap between Texas teachers and those in other states.

“Every Texas student deserves an effective teacher, and thousands of effective teachers are leaving Texas classrooms every year because of inadequate pay,” Candelaria said.

Average teacher pay in Texas was $53,167 during the 2017-18 school year, according to the National Education Association. Nationally, teachers average a $60,483 salary. Texas ranks 29th in the nation for teacher pay.

The Democrats’ pay raise proposal is part of a larger $14.5 billion education plan the caucus revealed Thursday, which included funding full-day prekindergarten and increasing spending to teach low-income students, children who speak little or no English, and those needing special education services. Members say they will propose a mix of legislation to accomplish this plan or elements of it.

The plan also includes the state contributing $100 a month toward educators’ health care premiums, and a one-time $500 check for teachers to cover classroom supplies, which teachers regularly pay for out-of-pocket.

For subscribers: As health plan costs hit $1,000 a month, teachers take side jobs, delay care