Too many teachers are forced to teach classes outside their area of certification because there are no math, science, special education, foreign language, or bilingual education teachers. The generous pay raise provided by the Texas Legislature this year was a giant step in the right direction, but since the teacher shortage will get larger and the competition for personnel will become even more fierce from the private sector, TSTA will propose to double that amount during the next legislative session. To further exacerbate the problem, TSTA is receiving reports that in some districts, the new raises are being offset by steep increases in health insurance rates. There is little wonder that the rates keep rising. The current system of funding health insurance in Texas is nothing less than a crazy-quilt of questionable coverage, exorbitant rates, and inefficient application.
Some districts actually attempt to offer better policies at competitive rates.
But district wealth and size dictate rates and policies. Others fall far short of the state law directing districts to make health insurance available to employees comparable to that provided the state employees. For several years TSTA has been researching school district health insurance. That money is being expended from local property taxes. School employees, themselves, are spending additional billions out of their own pockets.