Texas senators have passed a measure to raise public teacher salaries based on tenure and expand a program to increase some bonuses based on performance.
On Wednesday, senators voted unanimously to approve a committee substitute for Senate Bill 26 by State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), “the first pillar” of his Teacher Bill of Rights.
“Senate Bill 26 is just the beginning, but it is, in and of itself, historic in the amount of dollars we’re placing in this priority set for our Texas teachers,” said Creighton. “And as I mentioned, soon we will be rolling out additional legislation to address a full range of challenges facing our educators, from classroom safety and discipline to contract protections and stronger teachers’ preparation programs.”
“It’s time for Texas to lead the nation in supporting our Texas teachers,” he continued. “And with this bill, we’re making that commitment clear today.”
The measure now goes to the Texas House.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that raising teacher pay is one of his priorities for the legislative session and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has listed SB 26 as a priority item. Last week, the measure unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Education K-16, which Creighton chairs.
SB 26 establishes a permanent allotment in the budget for teacher pay raises based on experience and location, which is separate from the existing basic allotment for school districts.
Teachers with five or more years of experience in districts with 5,000 or fewer students benefit most, qualifying for a $10,000 raise. Teachers with at least three years of experience in districts with 5,000 or fewer students are eligible for $5,000.
In districts with more than 5,000 students, the measure would give teachers with at least three years of experience a $2,500 per-year raise and $5,500 to teachers with five or more years of experience.
The measure also expands the Teacher Incentive Allotment program, a designation and distribution system established in 2019 to provide bonuses to teachers who meet certain performance-based criteria.
Specifically, SB 26 would allow up to 50 percent of a school district’s teachers to participate in TIA initiatives, up from the current cap of 33 percent.
It also directs the Texas Education Agency to give districts more funding for TIA initiatives if administrators agree to stop giving across-the-board salary increases for instructional staff, except for adjustments in line with inflation.
In addition to the tenure-based and performance-based salary increases, SB 26 includes free pre-kindergarten for teachers’ children and provides teachers with new liability protections.
The teacher liability insurance described in the measure would help instructors understand their “rights, duties, and benefits” and cover “conduct that the teacher allegedly engaged in during the course of the teacher’s duties.”
An estimate from the Legislative Budget Board, as introduced, puts SB 26’s cost at around $4.3 billion through the biennium ending in late August 2027. The measure’s particular appropriation is likely to be decided during budget talks.
“To be clear, 80 percent of the dollars authorized by this historic amount of funding will go directly to raises for classroom teachers,” explained Creighton. “This is not a one-time bump, bonus, or stipend. This is a permanent commitment in the state budget to elevate the teaching profession in Texas.”
“The remaining 20 percent of the funding in this legislation expands the Teacher Incentive Allotment … because when teachers go above and beyond, they deserve to be awarded,” he added.
Notably, the committee substitute of the measure removes the National Board of Certification requirement for teachers to qualify for the TIA. Both the original measure and the committee substitute also include language allowing uncertified teachers to take advantage of tenure-based pay raises.
State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), who previously highlighted in committee that SB 26 contains language designating all “instructional staff” as eligible for tenure-based raises, asked Creighton his motive for removing the certification requirement for the TIA.
“We removed that board certification. It’s a low percentage of teachers that are applying for that or working within that framework now,” he continued. “We stuck with a framework that is generally merit-based across the board.”
Earlier this month, senators voted largely along party lines to pass Creighton’s SB 2, which would establish a school choice program in Texas through education savings accounts.
Creighton assured State Sen. Roland Gutierrez that he was committed to keeping the teacher pay raises separate from school choice after the San Antonio Democrat probed on the topic.
Gutierrez also asked about the additional liability insurance for teachers offered in the measure, which Creighton defended as necessary even though teachers’ in-class conduct is already generally protected.
“We feel like our Texas teachers need additional backup,” said Creighton.
State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) noted that “almost all of the professional educator associations provide some level of liability coverage as part of their membership.”
Creighton acknowledged this but stressed that, based on estimates from the TEA, the optional liability insurance offered in the measure would be much cheaper, at only around $2.00 per month.
State Sen. Borris Miles (D-Houston) asked Creighton how SB 26 would benefit support staff. Miles expressed concerns that no dedicated, statewide pay raise for district support staff has been passed in Texas history.
“When we shift a historic record amount of billions of dollars to the state to pay teacher pay raises, the districts are relieved of that burden, but they can also use that greater flexibility to take care of all those supports,” said Creighton.
Creighton offered several amendments to SB 26, including one that permits teachers to keep their NBC designation until “it naturally expires or three years from the effective date of this legislation, whichever comes earlier.”
Another Creighton amendment, which would permanentize pay increases for districts with under 5,000 students if they eventually exceed that threshold, sparked some debate among the senators before eventually passing.
Further amendments clarified certain provisions of the measure and instructed the TEA to encourage TIA programs for teachers in special education and bilingual instruction.
SB 12, the “Parental Bill of Rights,” was filed by Creighton on Monday to complement his Teacher Bill of Rights push. The measure would allow parents to opt in or out of specific controversial programs school districts offer, such as sex education.
Creighton also said on the floor that he would file Senate Bill 27 on Thursday. The measure, according to him, seeks to address disciplinary, safety, and training standards.
He elaborated on the measure further at a press conference following the passage of SB 26.
“There’s a provision in … Senate Bill 27 that’s rolling out that will make sure that a violent disruptor in the classroom can be removed by that teacher, and the principal cannot put that student back in the classroom unless the teacher signs off on it,” said Creighton.
Patrick issued a statement thanking Creighton “for his tireless work on SB 26 and the entire Senate for sharing my continued commitment to supporting our teachers.”
“SB 26 aims to elevate the teaching profession in Texas by establishing a strong compensation framework to reward teachers for their continued commitment to Texas students and communities through retention pay increases, with nearly 80% of teachers eligible,” stated Patrick.
While senators debated SB 26, representatives in the Texas House signaled that they would approve school choice legislation for the first time in the body’s history.
A majority of members have now signed on as co-authors to House Bill 3 by State Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado), the companion legislation to Creighton’s education savings account measure.
