Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 9 by Senator Brandon Creighton and joint-authored by Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa which outlines a bill of rights for teachers and provides additional compensation. This bill will now head over to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Senator Hinojosa released the following statement:
“I am a joint author of Senate Bill 9 because supporting our teachers continues to be a priority for me this session. With this legislation, we are standing up for teachers and providing them with additional compensation and benefits for their dedication to the education of our children. This payment will be in addition to the pay increase we authorized in 2019 with the passage of HB 3. The $1.625 billion that the Senate has committed to invest in this bill will provide a $2,000 to $6,000 payment for our teachers who stay in the classroom during the next school year. While I know that they deserve and need much more, my vote today is not to show my satisfaction with the proposed compensation, but rather a commitment to continue advocating for more funding and to show my support for the additional benefits this bill provides. On the Senate floor, I voted for Senator Morgan LaMantia’s floor amendment to increase the compensation to $10,000 but it did not have enough votes to get adopted. I will continue working with my legislative colleagues to fight for additional compensation and to get this bill to the Governor’s desk.”
Highlights of Senate Bill 9 as passed by the Texas Senate:
· Childcare for Teachers – Free Pre-K for children of classroom teachers.
· Across the Board Teacher Payment – $2,000 payment to all teachers and an additional $4,000 for teachers in small and rural districts.
· Performance Based Bonuses – Increased funding for the Teacher Incentive Allotment that provides bonuses up to $36,000 for high-performing educators.
· Re-Hiring Retired Teachers – Creates a grant program to reimburse school districts that employ retired teachers for the cost of their contribution amount to TRS.
· TEA Assistance to School Districts – TEA will assist school districts with implementing certain teacher programs including programs that encourage high school students or other members of the community in the area served by the district to become teachers, including available teacher apprenticeship programs.
· Study of Teacher Time – TEA will provide support to school districts to study how the district’s or school’s staff and student schedules, required noninstructional duties for classroom teachers, and professional development requirements for educators are affecting the amount of time classroom teachers work each week.
· Transparency In Schedules – Provides clarity and guardrails for any duties outside the classroom.
