Teacher Pay Penalty Reaches Record High

We wish we were surprised by the latest report from the Economic Policy Institute, which has tracked relative wage data for teachers and other degreed professionals for more than four decades. The results for 2024 are in: the "teacher pay penalty," the wage gap between teachers and similarly educated professionals in other fields, hit a record high of 26.9%.

This means that all else being equal, teachers earned 26.9% less than other college graduates. Texas compares slightly better than the national average at only a 23% teacher penalty.

But Teachers Get the Summers "Off"

The data is reported by weekly wages to help counter this paltry (and inaccurate) justification for why teachers are so undervalued as professionals. This means that nationally, on average, teachers earn ~$47,500 less than their professional peers.

The report also accounts for the so-called benefits advantage, or the perception that teachers generally receive a larger share of their total compensation as benefits, such as health or other insurance and retirement plans, compared with other professionals.

While benefits do affect total compensation, teachers, on average, see only 69.6% of their compensation in actual wages - or "take home pay" - versus 78.9% for other professionals.

While the data and reporting methodology differ, these findings are consistent with the Texas AFT and Every Texan Lost Decade (2022) and The Lost Decade (and a Half) (2024) reports that show that, when adjusted for inflation, the average salary for Texas public school teachers is now approximately $9,000 less on average than their peers nationwide. Even when adjusting for differences in the cost of living, Texas ranks 30th in the country for teacher pay.

While Texas AFT has always championed automatic inflation-adjusted increases in teacher salaries and support staff wages, the data demonstrate that this will not mitigate, much less reverse the long-term stagnation of teacher wages. When you couple these data with untenable working conditions and lack of respect for (if not open hostility toward) teachers, it becomes clear why so few new teachers are entering the profession.

But Didn't House Bill 2 Address Teacher Pay?

Regular Hotline readers are acquainted with our coverage of House Bill 2 and its teacher retention allotment.

While we applaud the Legislature for this investment in teacher pay, the implementation has been far from perfect (we see you Houston ISD) and, as we have stated, doesn't go far enough to fill the massive funding hole that has been growing since their last significant investment in public education in 2019. Even $8,000, the top amount that goes to rural teachers with five or more years of experience, only covers a fraction of wage gap that the EPI report exposes.

HB 2 also raised the bonus ceilings for the Teacher Incentive Allotment. However, even when a district has an approved plan for this merit-based bonus plan, not all teachers will be able to qualify for it. And again, even the new maximum bonus allowed for a master teacher ($36,000 minus some admins costs) would not fully address this wage gap.

While we are not opposed to differentiated pay scales based on educational attainment or professional credentials, such as National Board Certification, TIA is based solely on student outcomes; those outcomes are too often dependent on a standardized test that has never been found to be a valid or reliable indicator of effective teaching.

A merit-based system such as TIA must never be allowed to be seen as the solution for appropriately compensating educators as the professionals they are.

Why This Matters

Closing the pay gap between public teachers and similarly educated professionals is essential to attracting and retaining qualified educators, boosting student achievement, and securing the future of public education and our democracy. Texas must make substantial and continuous investments in education and employee compensation if it is ever to achieve the goal of "ensuring this state ranks nationally in the top five states in preparing students for postsecondary success."

Being a union member is also essential in this continual battle for appropriate compensation. Texas AFT advocates at the state level every session for additional state funding, and our local chapters take the fight to school boards to win better salaries and wages for our members. Until our state leaders respect teachers and support staff where it matters most - in your paychecks -we will continue to stand up for your right to fair wages.