Texas teachers need promotions, additional training and better working conditions to remedy the shortage, the state’s task force says.

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Nearly a year after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a task force to look into the state’s teacher shortage, the group is recommending lawmakers raise pay, improve tuition and commit to respect teachers’ time.

“The Texas Legislature, [Texas Education Agency]and school systems must prioritize the adoption and full funding of these recommendations so that every school in Texas is staffed with effective, supportive, and dedicated teachers,” the report said Friday.

The recommendations come as state lawmakers considering how to spend a historic $32.7 billion budget surplus are prioritizing higher teacher salaries and increasing the base amount of money school districts receive per student.

While Texas and the rest of the country have struggled with a teacher shortage for years, the pandemic has exacerbated it. Changing mask requirements and the closing and then reopening of schools have taken their toll on teachers. At the same time, schools have become the center of the state’s culture wars, with teachers caught in the crossfire.

Meanwhile, payments to teachers remained at the same level. According to the latest report from the National Education Association, Texas ranks 28th in the nation for teacher salaries, $7,652 less than the national average.

The task of the task force, made up of educators and school administrators, was to find out why this shortage exists, recommend changes to the TEA policy, and consider making the teacher certification process more flexible. The report will be made available to members of the House and Senate Education Committees and is available to the public online.

“This task force must work hard to ensure that excellence and recruiting and retention resources are provided to districts to ensure that the learning environment of Texas students is not disrupted by a lack of a qualified teacher,” Abbott said at the time.

Here are the findings of the report.

The teacher should get a promotion

The Task Force recommends that the State increase the base amount, which is currently $6,160 per student. State law requires school districts to use 30% of any extra income they receive to increase employee salaries. The allocation has not increased since 2019, when lawmakers overhauled the school funding system.

“Wages have not kept pace with recent inflation and pay disparity continues to exist across the state,” the task force noted in the report.

The task force is also asking lawmakers to increase the percentage of contributions that should go to teachers’ salaries, though it doesn’t say by how much.

In addition, the group recommends increasing the minimum wage that teachers should receive for a year of experience. Currently, teachers need at least 20 years of experience to earn over $54,000 a year. While many school districts already pay more than the minimum wage, teachers in smaller and rural school districts earn the minimum amount or slightly more.

“The minimum wage table should be raised to reflect the influence of teachers and differentiate on factors that positively influence student outcomes, such as work experience and certification paths,” the task force said.

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The report says the overall compensation teachers receive should also be increased as health care costs have risen about 5% on average over the past 20 years, but the state and district’s contribution to health insurance plans has remained the same.

Legislators have already filed several bills that will increase the salaries of teachers. State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, filed House Bill 882, which would increase the per student base to $7,075 and adjust it annually for inflation. State Representative James Talarico, D-Round Rock County, filed Bill 1548 that would give all Texas teachers a $15,000 pay raise.

More training and support

While the task force considers pay to be a top priority, it also called for better recruitment processes and better retention practices for teachers to keep them in place.

The group recommends expanding programs and destinations for high school students who want to become teachers. It also says the state must create and fund teacher residency programs that will pay potential teachers to study for a year and work with an experienced educator in a PK-12 public classroom similar to the field of medicine.

“Research shows that teacher residency models promote teacher retention, effectively place teachers in hard-to-reach areas, and positively impact student outcomes,” the task force said.

The Task Force recommended expanding teacher mentoring programs to help them take on more leadership positions. It also states that teachers spend most of their time creating and searching for lesson plans and should have easy access to high quality learning materials to help them.

Need better working conditions

In a task force survey, teachers stated that the precarious workload is the main reason they leave their jobs. They also cited campus morale, discipline, and a lack of adequate mental health support as contributing factors to workplace stress.

The Task Force recommends that the Legislature fund a study on how teachers use their time to better understand their responsibilities and how to rationalize them. The task force said administrators should also change their district’s schedule to give teachers more time to plan and develop. In addition, the school system and TEA must adopt more efficient staffing plans so that teachers are not given more work when a colleague is absent and a replacement is not available.

The task force is also calling for more counselors to deal with student behavioral problems and suggest more effective disciplinary action. School administrators should also receive training in discipline best practices and how to create a supportive learning environment.

“I am confident that state leadership will act on these recommendations, which are the result of almost a year of collaboration and hard work from district leaders, teachers, educational organizations and other stakeholders,” said Josue Tamares Torres, Task Force Chair and Bilingual Math Teacher 4-5 classes.