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{"id":1512,"date":"2019-03-05T03:12:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T03:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/?p=1512"},"modified":"2019-03-07T18:26:16","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T18:26:16","slug":"texas-senate-passes-teacher-pay-raise-adds-librarians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/?p=1512&lang=ar","title":{"rendered":"Texas Senate passes teacher pay raise, adds librarians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas Senate passes teacher pay raise, adds librarians<\/p>\n

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The Texas Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill giving all classroom teachers and school librarians a $5,000 annual pay raise, advancing it to the House.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The bill \u2014 priority legislation for senators as well as Gov. Greg Abbott, who made boosting teacher pay an emergency item for lawmakers this session \u2014 is aimed at recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cBefore we do anything, can we please show our teachers that we value them?\u201d said the bill\u2019s author, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Although school librarians had not originally been included, Nelson extended the raise to them by adding a last-minute amendment Monday.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The American-Statesman reported <\/span>last month that about 4,600 school librarians<\/span><\/a> would be excluded from the bill even though they are required to have taught in the classroom for two years to qualify for the position.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t know that,\u201d Nelson said of the teaching requirement. \u201cThey are teachers.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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At a cost of $3.9 billion over the next two years, the bill would create an allotment in the school funding formula that is intended to reassure school districts that the state, not local revenue, would fund the pay raises.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Average teacher pay in Texas for 2017-18 was $53,167, compared with the national average of $60,483, according to the National Education Association. There are about 350,000 classroom teachers and librarians across the state.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The bill still excludes other school employees, including teacher\u2019s aides, counselors, bus drivers and custodians.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI still think that counselors are being given so many duties,\u201d said Sen. Jos\u00e9 Men\u00e9ndez, D-San Antonio. \u201cIf we really want to talk about school safety, then they need to have the capacity to talk to the students. Maybe we need more of them, maybe we can attract more through a little more pay.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Nelson responded that the bill doesn\u2019t prevent school districts from independently giving raises to other school employees.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Education groups that haven\u2019t immediately supported the legislation have said they disagree with the bill\u2019s method of giving teacher raises. They said money that would otherwise go to raises should go to school districts, which could use it for other types of raises or for hiring more teachers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The bill would prevent districts from using the $5,000 raises to supplant other raises they plan to give. It also includes charter school teachers and librarians, and covers the associated increased pension costs to school districts.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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