The situation is like a leaky ship. Nearly 30 percent hold second jobs during the school year to supplement low teacher pay. Legislators must continue to make Texas teacher salaries competitive, establish a statewide education health insurance plan, and it must take steps to improve the working conditions of Texas educators. Last session's raise did not make us competitive with other states. The Legislature must take a long-range approach to funding a series of major teacher salary increases and it must budget accordingly.
Salaries are bad.
Employee health insurance is worse. Last year TSTA completed a survey of 973 school districts and found that insurance companies raised health insurance premiums in 718 of them. Ninety-five percent of all school employees do not receive one dime toward family coverage. Yet, the Teacher Retirement System has determined that three years after the law was enacted by the Legislature, nearly half of all districts are not in compliance with this law. TSTA proposes that during the next Legislative session, a statewide insurance plan be established to provide health coverage for all current and retired school employees.