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Teacher Salary Survey Released

(Austin) – Teacher salaries are up by 3.2 percent according to the 2009–10 Salaries and Wages in Texas Public Schools Teacher Report recently released by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) and Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). The TASB/TASA survey, conducted annually by the TASB HR Services Division, is the second of a series of four that is the most definitive study of compensation and benefits practices in Texas. This information is used by policymakers at the local and state levels to make decisions about educator pay and benefits.

Of the 1,030 public school districts asked to participate in the survey, 605 districts responded, representing 59 percent of total districts in the state.

Teacher Survey Sample

This survey includes 90 percent (297,073) of the estimated total population of teachers in Texas public schools. Based on a projected growth rate of 1.0 percent, it is estimated that 331,171 teachers are employed in Texas in 2009–10. Seventy-two percent of teachers (213,785) represented in the survey work in school districts with more than 10,000 students. Ninety-three of the 96 districts statewide in this enrollment category provided teacher salary data for this survey.

Teacher Salaries

The weighted average teacher salary in responding districts is $48,650 for 2009–10, up 3.2 percent from the 2008–09 average salary of $47,158. Weighted average salaries by enrollment vary from $41,855 in districts with fewer than 500 students to $51,134 in districts with more than 50,000 students.

Pay Increases

With the exception of teachers, average pay increases dropped for most employee groups for the third straight year. While the average teacher salary increased by 3.2 percent, school districts spent an average of 3.8 percent on pay increases for returning teachers this year, up from 3.1 percent last year and 3.5 percent in 2007–08. Districts were required to give teachers and other specific educators a monthly increase equivalent to $80 or $60 per weighted average daily attendance (WADA), whichever was greater, per HB 3646 (2009).

Administrators received the lowest average pay increase at 2.6 percent. Professional support staff (excludes teachers) saw an average increase of 2.9 percent. Clerical/paraprofessional and auxiliary personnel received average increases of 3.0 and 2.9 percent, respectively. Fifteen percent of respondents (93) did not increase salaries of at least one employee group for 2009–10.

Starting Pay

The average starting salary for a new teacher is $35,793, a 4.5 percent increase from the 2008–09 average of $34,252. This year’s average starting salary is 31 percent higher than the state minimum starting salary of $27,320. The average starting salary in districts with more than 10,000 students is $43,286, a 2.5 percent increase from last year.

One hundred seventy-six responding districts (29 percent) have an entry-level salary of $40,000 or greater, up from 22 percent of districts last year. These districts employ 233,801 teachers, or 79 percent of teachers in the sample. Furthermore, 25 percent (44) of these 176 districts have an entry-level salary of $45,000 or greater and employ 85,733 teachers, or 29 percent of the sample. Twenty-three districts (3.8 percent) pay teachers on the state minimum teacher salary schedule and employ only 993 teachers (0.3 percent).

Teacher Stipends and Incentives

Master’s Degree Stipends

Seventy percent of districts (423) pay stipends to teachers with master’s degrees. The average degree stipend in these districts is $1,155:

•  99 percent of districts with enrollments greater than 10,000 pay an average stipend of $1,416 to teachers with master’s degrees.

•  96 percent of districts with enrollments greater than 3,000 pay an average degree stipend of $1,258.

Shortage Stipends

Seventy-five percent of respondents (454 districts) pay shortage stipends to teachers in at least one shortage area, up from 71 percent in 2008–09. Most districts (89 percent) with more than 3,000 students pay critical shortage stipends in at least one area.

Mathematics is the most frequently reported stipend paid with 50 percent (301 districts) paying an average stipend of $2,324. The average stipend paid increased 7 percent this year. The average science stipend paid is $2,233, up 6 percent from 2008–09. Math and science stipends are the most frequently paid, but bilingual education stipends are generally higher at $2,513, on average.

Campus Assignment Stipends

Twenty-six districts (4 percent) pay stipends to teachers for taking an assignment at a hard-to-staff campus. The average stipend is $1,778. There is wide variation in the amounts paid and the regional location of these districts. Campus assignment stipends range from $250 up to $6,000.

Other Stipends

Thirty-two percent of districts (191) pay stipends to mentor teachers. The average stipend paid is $579. Most districts (74 percent) pay between $200 and $500.

Twenty-three districts (4 percent) pay stipends to teachers with National Board Certification® from the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS). The average stipend paid is $2,250. All of the districts reporting a stipend have at least 3,000 students.

This report is a compilation of salary information for classroom teachers collected by TASB HR Services during the fall of the 2009–10 school year. The survey questionnaire was mailed to the 1,030 Texas school districts as part of the annual survey process.

Survey data collected covers teacher salaries, hiring schedules, degree stipends, shortage stipends, substitute teacher pay rates, and other teacher pay practices. The data in this report are provided to help districts recruit, retain, and reward teachers through the development of competitive compensation plans

TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school districts. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve more than 4.7 million public school students.