Bill to Provide Biggest Teacher Pay Raise in Texas History Presented at State Capitol

Austin, Texas. A busy day began at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday as Texas Rep. James Talarico campaigned for the largest teacher pay increase in Texas history.

At 9:30 a.m., Talarico held a press conference to discuss House Bill 1548, which would increase teacher pay by $15,000.

HLW Natalie Haddad was at the Capitol and tweeted Talarico’s plan for teachers. If passed, the bill would raise the minimum teacher wage to $48,660 for zero years of service and raise the median teacher salary to $73,887.

Learn more about the minimum wage table set by the Texas Education Agency.

“This moment calls for bold action, and that’s what our state is known for,” Talarico said. “Act 1548 will be the largest teacher pay increase in Texas history. In Texas, we either go big or we go home. Let’s raise teachers’ salaries.”

His proposal states: “Texas is currently using $47 billion of unused public funds. We can give every Texas teacher a $15,000 raise and still have HALF left over.”

It also states: “The quality of teachers is the single most important factor influencing student success. Raising teacher salaries to hire and retain the best and brightest educators is the best investment we can make for our state.”

This is not the first time Talarico has introduced a bill to raise teachers’ salaries in Texas. In March 2021, he introduced House Bill 3580, which aimed to set a minimum wage of $70,000 adjusted for inflation and rising over time.

Before he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico was a public school teacher and executive director of a nonprofit providing technology to students.

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