Throughout North Texas, there are hundreds of area school job openings. Districts have done what they can to stay competitive in the marketplace and for many that means raising wages.
Public school teachers in texas, on average, earn about $7,500 less than the national average, according to a new ranking from the National Education Association. The national average is just over $58,000.
That’s well below the national average of $65,293 and ranks Texas 27e in the country. New York is No. 1 and Mississippi is last (51, counting the District of Columbia).
Announced salary increases or additional bonuses cause some to make decisions that include different districts.
Teachers like Brigitte Durham, who was recently hired into the Garland ISD as a primary school teacher, have taken notice.
“If you really want to create a good environment for these kids, you have to invest in them,” Durham said. “I was also really looking at the different opportunities I could have at Garland. [Opportunities] to pursue my academic career. I enjoyed how they connected with diverse backgrounds for teachers and students. I really thought it would be a good place to plant here for the rest of my teaching career.
Retention has become a buzzword throughout the summer, with districts holding job fairs and offering big pay raises in hopes of keeping educators.
“The price of living has gone up in every way and just knowing that I have that extra cushion and money. I think knowing that they had increased their salaries said a lot about how much they valued their teachers,” Durham said.
Several districts have announced salary increases for teachers this upcoming school year, including Arlington, Fort Worth and Highland Park ISD, to name a few.
