TEACHER
SUMMARY
REPORT
Teacher Compensation
in Texas Public Schools
Teacher Salary Survey Highlights
•
1,024
Texas public school districts received the questionnaire.
•
602
districts responded, representing 59 percent of districts in Texas.
The participation rate among districts with more than 3,000 students
was 90 percent.
•
89
percent (298,540) of the estimated total population of teachers in
Texas public schools are represented in the survey. Seventy-five
percent of these teachers (222,988) work in large school districts with
more than 10,000 students.
Average Teacher Salaries
The weighted average teacher salary in responding districts is $51,041 for 2014–15, up 1.7 percent from the 2013–14 average salary of $50,166. The change in average teacher salary can be affected by teacher turnover. Weighted average salaries varied by enrollment range: from $42,934 in districts with fewer than 500 students to $53,368 in districts with more than 50,000 students. By ESC region, average salaries ranged from $43,231 in Region 8 (Mount Pleasant) to $53,940 in Region 4 (Houston).
The average superintendent salary in Texas for 2013-14 is $131,250. There has been a steady increase in base salaries over the past several years; rising 3.1 percent for 2013-14 and 3.5 percent in 2012-13.
Exhibit 1. Average Teacher Salaries*
Percent Weighted
Number of Number of of Teachers Average
Respondents Teachers in Survey Salary
All Respondents 594 298,540 100.0% $51,041 By Enrollment
1 to 499 100 2,628 0.9% $42,934
500 to 999 102 6,070 2.0% 43,969
1,000 to 1,599 82 7,830 2.6% 44,902
1,600 to 2,999 82 12,809 4.3% 45,517
3,000 to 4,999 64 17,017 5.7% 47,285
5,000 to 9,999 64 29,198 9.8% 49,202
10,000 to 24,999 54 58,005 19.4% 51,076
25,000 to 49,999 29 71,813 24.1% 52,180
50,000 and over 17 93,170 31.2% 53,368
By ESC Region
1 Edinburg 25 23,566 7.9% $50,751
2 Corpus Christi 25 5,602 1.9% $47,908
3 Victoria 25 3,399 1.1% $46,469
4 Houston 44 69,457 23.3% $53,940
5 Beaumont 19 3,941 1.3% $45,578
6 Huntsville 32 11,238 3.8% $49,679
7 Kilgore 44 8,162 2.7% $43,828
8 Mount Pleasant 25 3,553 1.2% $43,231
9 Wichita Falls 12 1,865 0.6% $44,179
10 Richardson 55 48,239 16.2% $52,091
11 Fort Worth 47 34,661 11.6% $53,375
12 Waco 41 9,127 3.1% $46,498
Pay Increases
Pay raise budgets for teachers held steady compared to 2013–14 levels. Districts provided returning teachers an average pay increase of 2.8 percent, similar to the 2.9 percent raise they received last year. Pay increases have climbed by less than 1 percent since 2011. That year, district concerns about school funding cuts dragged average pay increases to the lowest level in more than 10 years. Teacher pay raises continue to lag 2000-01 to 2009-10 levels, when increases averaged nearly 4 percent per year.
Nonteaching employees saw similar pay increases. Average pay increases were 2.7 and 2.6 percent respectively for administrators and professional support employees. Both clerical/paraprofessional support and auxiliary employees received pay increases of 3.1 percent. Approximately 9 percent of districts froze salaries for all employees in 2014–15.
Exhibit 2. Teacher Pay Increase Trends
Teacher Starting Pay
The average starting salary for a new teacher is $38,174, up 2.2 percent from last year. This year’s average starting salary is about 39 percent higher than the state minimum starting salary of $27,540.In districts with more than 10,000 students, the average starting salary is $46,499, a 3.8 percent increase from last year.
Forty-two percent of districts (255) have an entry-level salary of $40,000 or greater.These districts employ nearly 88 percent of teachers in the sample. The highest reported entry salary is $52,750. Eight districts, employing 353 total teachers, reported paying teachers the state minimum as determined in the State Minimum Salary Schedule.
The average highest salary on the teacher schedule is $55,889. Respondents reported the maximum teacher salary paid (10-month salary) is $58,635 on average.
Exhibit 3. Average Teacher Hiring Schedules *
Highest
0 Years 5 Years 10 Years 15 Years 20 Years Salary
All Respondents $38,174 $40,871 $44,516 $48,031 $51,324 $55,889
Percent change from 2013–14 2.2% 1.8% 1.5% 1.4% 1.0% N/A
State Minimum Hiring Schedule $27,540 $31,810 $37,340 $41,490 $44,620 $44,620 Percent Above State Minimum 38.6% 28.5% 19.2% 15.8% 15.0% 25.3%
Teacher Stipends and Incentives
Shortage Stipends
Seventy-eight percent of respondents (469 districts) pay shortage stipends to teachers in at least one shortage area, similar to last year. Most districts with more than 3,000 students (92 percent) pay critical shortage stipends in at least one area.
Mathematics is the most frequently reported stipend paid, with about half of responding districts (51 percent) paying an average stipend of $2,577.The average math stipend increased by 1.3 percent compared to 2013–14 ($2,543).The average science stipend is $2,474, a 1.2 percent increase compared to last year ($2,443). As in past years, math and science stipends are the most frequently paid but bilingual education stipends are generally a higher amount. The average bilingual stipend is $2,619, a 1.3 percent increase from last year.
Compared to 2013–14, the percent of respondents that pay a math or science stipend remained nearly the same; the number of districts that pay a bilingual education stipend increased by 3 percent.
Exhibit 4. Shortage Stipends by Subject Area
Districts Districts Percent of Average Responding Paying Stipend Respondents Stipend Mathematics 602 307 51.0% $2,577 Science 602 286 47.5% $2,474 Bilingual Education 602 277 46.0% $2,619 Special Education 602 222 36.9% $1,719 English as a Second Language 602 210 34.9% $1,226 Foreign Language 602 158 26.2% $2,470
Teacher Stipends and Incentives
Master’s Degrees
Seventy percent of districts (419) pay more to teachers with master’s degrees, typically paid as a salary stipend. Of those districts, most (90 percent) pay extra for any type of master’s degree (e.g., educational administration, counselor). Ten percent (40) limit the incentive to only those teachers with a master’s degree in their assigned teaching field, up 3 percent from last year. Twenty-four districts pay for any type of master’s degree, but pay a larger stipend to teachers with advanced degrees in their subject area.
The average stipend paid for a master’s degree in any area of study is $1,117, nearly identical to last year ($1,112). The average stipend paid for a master’s degree in the assigned teaching field is $1,702.
Leadership Roles
Districts also reported stipends paid for various campus leadership roles such as department chairs and mentor teachers. Districts with enrollments less than 1,000 students were not asked to provide data regarding department chair stipends.
Exhibit 6. Campus Leadership Roles Stipends
Districts Districts Percent of Average Responding Paying Stipend Respondents Stipend Department Chair/Grade Leader - High School* 397 299 75.3% $1,433
Exhibit 5. Master’s Degree Stipends
Districts Districts Percent of Average Responding Paying Stipend Respondents Stipend Master’s Degree Stipends - General * 602 378 62.8% $1,117 Master’s Degree Stipends - In Subject-Field * 602 64 10.6% $1,702
Teacher Stipends and Incentives
Other Incentives
In 2014–15, 70 districts (12 percent) indicated that the district provides signing bonuses to some newly hired teachers. The average reported signing bonus is $2,433. Of those, 46 districts (66 percent) noted that the signing bonus is restricted to critical shortage areas or high-needs campus assignments only. For those that restrict the signing bonus to critical shortage areas, the most commonly reported bonus is paid to math and science teachers.
In districts with enrollment of 1,000 or more, 20 districts (5 percent) pay stipends to teachers for taking an assignment at a hard-to-staff campus. The average stipend is $2,525. There is wide variation in the regional location of these districts. Campus assignment stipends range from $1,000 to $5,000.
Twenty-two districts reported paying an average stipend of approximately $2,100 to teachers with National Board Certification© from the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS).
Substitute Teacher Pay Rates
Exhibit 7: Substitute Teacher Pay Rates by ESC Region
Average Substitute Daily Rates Number of Long-Term Districts Degreed- Degreed- Responding Non-Degreed Degreed Certified Degreed CertifiedAll Respondents 602 $65 $74 $80 $93 $109
By ESC Region
1 Edinburg 25 $69 $90 $110 $95 $116 2 Corpus Christi 25 65 72 80 94 124 3 Victoria 25 63 71 76 83 94 4 Houston 45 72 84 93 107 130 5 Beaumont 19 63 72 75 98 101 6 Huntsville 33 63 75 84 96 109 7 Kilgore 44 62 68 74 92 98 8 Mount Pleasant 25 60 65 71 79 92 9 Wichita Falls 13 60 67 73 82 90 10 Richardson 55 66 75 82 100 119 11 Fort Worth 47 67 75 78 95 108 12 Waco 43 61 67 72 85 93 13 Austin 45 71 75 79 90 106 14 Abilene 12 62 71 77 86 93 15 San Angelo 20 61 64 70 79 89 16 Amarillo 37 64 69 74 84 128 17 Lubbock 24 62 69 73 92 105 18 Midland 16 70 85 94 106 123 19 El Paso 10 62 75 92 99 111 20 San Antonio 39 67 76 84 92 114
The survey is a compilation of salary information for classroom teachers collected by TASB HR Services during the fall of the 2014–15 school year. The survey questionnaire was sent to 1,024 Texas public school districts as part of the annual salary survey. Survey data collected covers teacher salaries, hiring schedules, degree stipends, shortage stipends, substitute teacher pay rates, and other teacher pay practices. The data in this report are provided to help districts recruit, retain, and reward teachers through the development of competitive compensation plans.
Survey Methodology
Standard statistical and mathematical calculations were used in compiling and analyzing the data. Survey results are presented by enrollment group and by ESC region. Not all respondents answered every question in the survey. Therefore, table totals may not equal total sample size. Districts with fewer than 1,000 students were not asked to report data related to hard-to-staff campus, National Board Certification©, or department chair/grade leader stipends.
The use of weighted averages in teacher salary analysis results in districts with a larger portion of the employee sample having a proportionately greater weight in determining the average salary for the total group.
