Salaries and reductions/furloughs

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. New legislation passed in 2011 gives districts the flexibility to lower salaries below 2010-11 levels and to implement furloughs.

State minimum salary schedule

The salary schedule below shows the state minimum for the next several years. Pursuant to language drafted by TCTA, the minimum salary schedule will increase when the state’s basic allotment exceeds $5,000, unless the law is changed before it reaches that level. PLEASE NOTE: Most school districts pay more than the state minimum salary schedule; contact your district’s human resources department to view a copy of your local salary schedule.

Salary reductions and furloughs

Pursuant to Senate Bill 8 passed in the 2011 special legislative session, districts may lower the salary of an employee subject to the state minimum salary schedule below the salary made by the employee in the 2010-11 school year. 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, which is 45 calendar days prior to the first day of instruction. Districts may also enact an unpaid furlough program for contractual personnel of up to six noninstructional days. 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. Districts enacting furloughs must subject all contractual personnel to the same number of days of unpaid leave. Implementation of a furlough program may not result in an increase in the number of required teacher workdays.

Before a district may implement a furlough or reduce salaries, the district must use a process that includes the involvement of the district’s professional staff and provides district employees with the opportunity to express opinions regarding the furlough program or salary reduction. The school board must hold a public meeting at which information is presented regarding the options considered for managing the district’s available resources, including consideration of a tax rate increase and use of the district’s available fund balance, an explanation of how the district intends to use the furlough program or salary reduction to limit the number of district employees who will be discharged, information regarding local option homestead tax exemption, and the number of proposed furlough days. The public and school district employees must be provided an opportunity to comment at the school board hearing.

* Total years of creditable experience as of Sept. 1