Still in limbo: teacher salaries, legal rights and more
TCTA has been working tirelessly this session on two bills that would affect teacher salaries, legal protections and class sizes. Districts are asking for these changes to provide them with flexibility to cut costs during difficult economic times. TCTA and other teacher groups have suggested changes that would allow a level of flexibility, but would minimize harm to classrooms and teachers, and limit changes to times of financial uncertainty (rather than the permanent changes that have been included in some bills).
As of Thursday, April 28, both bills are, at least temporarily, on hold.
TCTA is opposed to HB 400 by Rep. Rob Eissler. If HB 400 passes in its current form, the class-size cap would convert to a districtwide average and classes could grow significantly, teacher salaries could be permanently and dramatically reduced, teachers could be notified of a contract nonrenewal as late as the last day of instruction, and it would be just as easy to fire a teacher mid-year as it is to nonrenew a contract at the end of the year.
Some potential amendments we've seen, but do not support, include:
- restoring the 22:1 class-size cap, but allowing districts to simply post notice of larger class sizes instead of notifying parents directly and specifically about their children’s class sizes;
- implementing a single-step minimum salary of $27,320 that would serve as the minimum salary for all teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians; and
- moving the date for notification to teachers of contract nonrenewal to 15 days prior to the last day of instruction.
TCTA helped draft an amendment to be carried by Rep. Larry Phillips that would ensure that the commissioner could grant class-size waivers during times of financial hardship while still retaining individual notification to parents, retain the current state minimum salary schedule but allow districts to implement limited salary reductions and/or furloughs (to affect administrators also, not just teachers) in order to avoid layoffs, and restore legal protections while still compromising on the notification date (moving it to 30 days prior to the last instructional day).
The bill was scheduled for House floor debate on Tuesday, but was delayed when a point of order was sustained. The problem with the bill can be corrected, and the bill should be back on the House floor soon.
Superintendents and school board trustees are spending plenty of time in the Capitol and on the phone to their state legislators urging support for HB 400. TCTA is doing our best to ensure that the teacher perspective is heard, but nothing takes the place of phone calls and emails from voting constituents. If you haven’t yet called your state representative to support the Phillips amendment to HB 400, please do so as soon as possible.
SB 12 was developed under much more favorable circumstances, with several senators bringing together teacher and administrator groups to try to work out compromises. In the end the groups were unable to agree on a complete proposal, and although SB 12 is not the bill that TCTA would have written, it does incorporate many concepts offered by both teachers and administrators. It is similar to the Phillips amendment to HB 400 in some respects, in that the changes under consideration are more moderate and limited than those in HB 400. SB 12 is eligible for consideration in the Senate now but is rumored to not yet have the votes to be brought up. (The Senate operates differently from the House in that items are placed on the calendar but will not be considered unless they have the approval of 2/3 of the senators.)
We appreciate those of you who have made contact with your state representatives, and we will update our members with any developments. Between eUpdates, you can check the Capitol Updates link for the latest news on activities in Austin.
