FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org
In lieu of apples, please set House Bill 2 for a hearing.
Austin, Texas – Today marks the fourth day of Teacher Appreciation Week, an annual recognition of educators’ hard work and dedication to their students. Teacher Appreciation Week is a little fraught in Texas, where for years the state has faced a severe teacher retention crisis. In the 2023-24 school year, TEA reported a 19.1% teacher turnover rate, down only slightly from the all-time-high rate of 21.4% in the 2022-23 school year.
That’s what the numbers say, and they’re backed up by what teachers themselves are saying pretty much any time they’re asked. Texas AFT surveys our members every year to learn more about what they’re experiencing, what they’re concerned about, and what could keep them in the job. For years now, we’ve heard that a sizable percentage of educators have considered leaving the classroom due to stagnant pay, poor working conditions, and ever-growing workloads. In our 2024 member survey, that figure sat at around 68%.
The best way to start addressing these concerns is fully funding Texas public schools. That means not only setting House Bill 2 for a hearing in Senate Education K-16 but also moving a bill that actually meets the needs of neighborhood schools. Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick, and Speaker Burrows have all pledged a school funding increase to go hand-in-hand with their voucher plan–to borrow a phrase from Speaker Burrows, a “Texas Two-Step.” Now that vouchers have been signed into law, there is no reason, political or financial, not to move a finance bill that meaningfully funds public schools. Texas has the means to invest in both educator pay and the basic allotment.
There are 25 days left of the 2025 regular session.
Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT, issued the following statement:
“If lawmakers really want to keep educators in the classroom, they can start by increasing the basic allotment, boosting teacher pay, and improving the work environment that the Legislature is so intent on micromanaging. Educators know their students and their families appreciate them; it’s time for lawmakers to show the same.
“It’s important to get this right. Texas AFT has gotten some feedback on our plea not to gut House Bill 2. We agree with Chairman Creighton that a dedicated allotment for teacher pay, stronger pathways to educator certification, and early intervention and support for students struggling academically are all great ideas. We would welcome a finance bill that marries the best qualities of both the House and Senate approaches–one that increases the basic allotment, guarantees teacher pay raises on top of base funding boosts, funds full-day pre-K for all Texas students, and makes meaningful investments in special education. The question shouldn’t be ‘teacher pay or basic allotment increase?’ but rather, ‘what do we need to fully support and stabilize public schools?’ The answer is both teacher pay raises and a basic allotment increase.
“Educators were promised a Texas Two-Step, and now is not the time to be caught flat-footed. State leaders were quick to endorse the two-step plan when the voucher bill was on shaky ground. House Bill 2 isn’t everything we asked for, but without its basic allotment increase there’s no guarantee that educators and support staff will see a dime of the billions that lawmakers have promised to our schools. Teacher pay raises are desperately needed to retain qualified educators, but they alone won’t keep the lights on in Texas classrooms. The Senate must pass a robust school finance package before the clock runs out on this legislative session.”
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The Texas American Federation of Teachers represents 66,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, support personnel, and higher-education employees across the state. Texas AFT is affiliated with the 1.8-million-member American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO.