Teacher Vacancy Taskforce Tracking
In 2022 Governor Abbott commissioned a Teacher Vacancy Task Force to make recommendations for improving teacher recruiting and retention in Texas. The members of the task force included teachers and school system leaders from school districts all across Texas, including one teacher (Pam Fischer) from Waco. You can see the Task Force Report here: Teacher Vacancy Task Force Final Report — February 2023.
The chair of the task force, Josué Tamárez Torres, a 4th & 5th Grade Bilingual Math Teacher, expressed the hope of the task force this way: “…no child in Texas attends a classroom without an effective teacher of record in front of them and that high-quality candidates will view teaching as a career-long profession that enables them to not only support the dreams of their students but live out their own as well.”
The recommendations in the report are organized into 8 Themes. On this page we will keep track of how the 89th Texas Legislature is doing on these recommendations. - ABT
Compensation
Theme 1: Increase Overall Compensation and Support Strategic Compensation Strategies
1-A. Fund a significant increase in overall teacher salaries by increasing the basic allotment and other state funding mechanisms, while increasing the requirement that school systems invest new funding in teacher salaries.
1-B. Update the minimum salary schedule to reflect the value of Texas teachers and promote differentiated compensation
1-C. Provide technical assistance for school systems to engage in strategic compensation, including through the Teacher Incentive Allotment, established by the 86th Texas Legislature, and staffing considerations to further increase and differentiate salaries.
Them 2: Enhance Teachers’ Total Compensation Package
Theme 3: Provide Incentives and Support for Hard-to-Staff Areas
Training & Support
Theme 4: Improve the Pipeline and Pre-service Preparation of Novice Teachers
Theme 5: Expand Training and Support for Teacher Mentorship and Teacher Leadership Opportunities
Theme 6: Provide Access to and Support for High-Quality Instructional Materials
Theme 7: Demonstrate Respect and Value for Teacher Time
Working Conditions
Theme 8: Schoolwide Culture and Discipline Supports