From our last teacher salary blog, we have seen how DFW school districts are offering different incentives for teachers performing above and beyond in the classroom, allowing them to earn a more desired salary and other great benefits. Like DFW, we found that teachers can also earn more in Austin, Texas.

Base Teacher Salary 

We’ve found that the average teacher salary in Austin, Texas is $55,261 but the range normally falls between $48,244 and $63,795. For sake of argument, we’ll say that a new teacher can start out with a salary of $49,000. This also isn’t including any incentives the district has to offer, but what might those additional incentives look like on top of a base salary?

Here’s how teachers are earning more

Professional Pathways for Teachers

Austin ISD offers the Professional Pathways for Teachers program. Professional Pathways for Teachers, or (PPfT), is an incentive-based program that gives teachers the opportunity to increase their base salary while also allowing them to become highly effective leaders on their campus. When a teacher completes a leadership pathway, they would be credentialed in that area and would be able to pursue multiple leadership pathways over their teaching career. The PPfT works through a base-building-point system in which teachers can earn points yearly, that allows them to become eligible for base increases. These points are accumulated and determine the amount of the base increase. Teachers can earn points from four different areas: appraisal, a professional development unit, service, and leadership pathways. Teachers can earn increases when the point amount is earned at the end of the school year, and the increase will be applied to the paycheck in August of the next year. For instance, once a teacher earns 10 points, they would then receive a $750 increase to their base salary. The amount associated with the points is earned once, but the base increase is permanent.

Special Ed/Bilingual

Austin ISD also offers stipends to teachers that are teaching Special Education or that are Bilingual. If you are teaching in Special Education, you have the opportunity to earn a $1,000 stipend and if you’re teaching as a bilingual teacher, you have the opportunity to earn a $2,500 stipend.

Total Potential Teaching Salary in Austin Texas

So what does an overall potential teacher salary look like for someone teaching in Austin, Texas?  We’ve done the math for you!

We said that a starting salary begins at $49,000. However…

• If you are teaching through PPfT, you could potentially make up to $49,750 in your first year if you earned 10 points! ($49,000+$750) = $49,750. (Increases may vary depending on the number points a teacher earns.)
• If you are teaching as Special Education teacher you could make potentially be making $50,000! ($49,000+$1,000) = $50,000.
• If you are a bilingual teacher you could be making $51,500! ($49,000+ $2,500) = $51,500.

Aside from great salary opportunities and incentives, Austin ISD is offering even more great benefits.

Discounted tuition

Employees can send their children to any AISD campus they choose (some of which have on-site daycare facilities) and receive a discounted tuition rate for Pre-K.

Issued Technology

Campus staff are issued technology devices for use in the classroom and to take home.

Discounted Housing Program

Employees can take advantage of the employee discount housing program, with special rates negotiated by AISD.

Discounts programs

Austin ISD offers discounts to their employees to places such as AAA, Schlitterbahn, 24 Hour Fitness, and much more!

Career Development

Austin ISD wants teachers to be successful in the classroom and beyond. The district offers mentorship programs that allow teachers to advance through professional development and leadership opportunities.

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The decision to choose to teach as a profession is typically derived from many factors. An article published in The Guardian listed the top reasons people start teaching. The top two (and ahead of all others by a fair majority) were: “Enjoy working with children and young people” and “Want to make a difference.” Other reasons listed by 858 respondents included, “love of my subject”, “having longer holidays,” and “family members work in education.” Of the 12 listed options, none of them included compensation. (I am left to assume that the pay response is included in the “Other” category with 6.7%.) Education Week also published an article (2015) with a survey concluding the top 2 reasons individuals chose the teaching profession. The top 2 reasons were “thought they would be good at it” and “making a difference in pupils’ lives.” (Ed Week)

Teachers teach because of what the job is, not what it pays.

Teaching is often referred to as a noble profession. This solely due to the fact that “compensation” is not a deciding factor for teachers. Teachers teach because of what the job is, not what it pays. Never-the-less, a rising issue in our nation is the abundant lack of resources allocated to providing teachers a fair compensation correlated to the time and effort each one puts forth.

Even though most people, if not all, choose to teach because of the actual work, current pay levels make it difficult for teachers to flourish economically. Matt Damon was extremely vocal on the issue seven years. When asked about his mother, who is a teacher, his response was, “Teachers want to teach, why else would they take a sh*tty salary?!” (YouTube) That video went viral for a short time, but like all other efforts to raise awareness on the issue, it fell on deaf ears.

National Attention Growing

Recent events have drastically brought attention to national levels. Earlier this year, in Arizona, 50,000 teachers marched on the capital — part of a week-long strike. Ultimately their efforts resulted in a legislative 20% pay raise for teachers. (Pheonix New Times)
Similar efforts in Oklahoma and West Virginia provided raises of $6,000 and $2,000 respectively (NY Times)

Most recently, perhaps in an effort to avoid a state-wide strike, Governor Jon Bel Edwards announced a $1,000 raise for all teachers in Louisiana. (NOLA) TIME magazine and other publications have certainly entered into the conversation in full force. The hope of such efforts is to continue pressing legislators to look at the compensation of teachers across the nation.

You would be hard pressed to find someone against paying teachers more but the solution doesn’t seem to be clear, at this point, or where the dollars are to do it.

All the noise around this issue leads me to contemplate what does a teacher actually make. And, for those looking to enter the profession, to better understand what your compensation would be.

Districts Responding

Though we do want teachers to earn even more, districts are beginning to put forth competitive compensation packages for new teachers. Over the next few weeks, we will pull back the curtain on some school districts and look at their benefits packages. What is the base salary? What available stipends exists? How many days is the school year? And, what does the school system contribute to health care and retirement?

Bookmark our blog as we take a deeper look into teachers’ pay.

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