Salaries and Wages in Texas Public Schools 2012–13 Teacher Salary Survey Highlights District Survey Sample The survey was sent to 1,028 public school districts in Texas. The response rate among all districts statewide was 58 percent (601). The participation rate among districts with more than 3,000 students was 85 percent. Survey data is effective as of September 2012. Survey participants may not have answered all questions. Teacher Survey Sample This year’s survey includes 86 percent (277,734) of the estimated total population of teachers in Texas public schools. There were 324,213 teachers employed in Texas public schools in 2011–12, a loss of more than 10,000 teachers in Texas schools over the prior year. Seventy‐four percent of teachers (204,266) represented in the survey work in large school districts with more than 10,000 students. Teacher Salaries The weighted average teacher salary in responding districts is $49,139 for 2012–13, up 1.6 percent from the 2011–
12 average salary of $48,375. The change in average teacher salary is impacted by teacher turnover. Weighted average salaries by enrollment range from $41,876 in districts with fewer than 500 students to $51,370 in districts with more than 50,000 students. Average Salaries by ESC Region Number of Respondents 587 All Respondents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Edinburg Corpus Christi Victoria Houston Beaumont Huntsville Kilgore Mount Pleasant Wichita Falls Richardson Fort Worth Waco Austin Abilene San Angelo Amarillo Lubbock Midland El Paso San Antonio Number of Teachers 277,734 Percent of Teachers in Survey 100.0% Weighted Average Salary $49,139 6.6% 1.9% 0.8% 23.5% 0.8% 3.8% 3.0% 1.2% 0.8% 15.5% 11.8% 3.2% 8.1% 0.8% 0.8% 1.8% 1.7% 1.5% 3.9% 8.6% $49,381 $46,772 $45,664 $51,366 $42,809 $47,074 $43,239 $41,877 $42,469 $49,548 $51,574 $45,267 $46,235 $44,071 $43,306 $46,587 $44,926 $48,922 $50,121 $50,871 22 22 20 47 14 33 48 26 16 55 49 41 41 14 24 29 23 18 9 36 18,275 5,218 2,124 65,380 2,217 10,604 8,391 3,344 2,204 43,044 32,751 8,849 22,466 2,090 2,098 4,969 4,588 4,276 10,958 23,888 © 2012–13 TASB/TASA Teacher Report Page 1 of 3
Salaries and Wages in Texas Public Schools Average Salaries by Enrollment All Respondents Number of Respondents 587 Number of Teachers 277,734 Percent of Teachers in Survey 100.0% 1 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 to 1,599 1,600 to 2,999 3,000 to 4,999 5,000 to 9,999 10,000 to 24,999 25,000 to 49,999 50,000 and over Weighted Average Salary $49,139 106 107 72 86 64 59 47 29 17 2,720 6,578 6,857 13,289 17,130 26,894 48,510 67,263 88,493 1.0% 2.4% 2.5% 4.8% 6.2% 9.7% 17.5% 24.2% 31.9% $41,876 $43,399 $44,063 $44,575 $45,972 $47,416 $49,855 $49,459 $51,370 Pay Increases Pay raise budgets are slightly up for 2012–13. Less than 20 percent of districts froze salaries, compared to nearly half of reporting districts last year. Districts provided returning teachers an average pay increase of 2.3 percent, up a fraction over the 2.0 percent raise they received last year. District concerns about school funding shortfalls have been reflected in teacher pay raises for the past three years. Teacher pay raises across the state averaged nearly 4 percent during the decade between 2000‐01 and 2009‐10, but have dropped by nearly half over the past three years. Nonteaching employees saw similar pay increases this year. Average pay increases ranged from 2.4 percent for administrators and professional support employees to 2.7 percent and 2.8 percent for clerical/paraprofessional support and auxiliary employees, respectively. About 25 percent of districts froze salaries for these three groups of employees. Starting Pay The average starting salary for a new teacher is $36,352, up 1.6 percent following a decline in average starting salary during 2011–12. This year’s average starting salary is 33 percent higher than the state minimum starting salary of $27,320. In districts with more than 10,000 students, the average starting salary is $44,359, a 1.8 percent increase from last year. Thirty‐two percent of districts (191) have an entry‐level salary of $40,000 or greater. These districts employ approximately 80 percent of teachers in the sample. The highest reported entry salary is $50,225. Eighteen districts, employing 744 teachers, reported paying teachers only the State Minimum Salary Schedule. Teacher Stipends and Incentives Master’s Degree Stipends Sixty‐nine percent of districts (413) 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, etc.). Seven percent (30) limit the incentive to only those teachers with a master’s degree in their assigned teaching field, up two percent from last year. The other three percent pay for all master’s degrees 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 $1,132. The average stipend paid for a master’s degree in the assigned teaching field is $1,865. © 2012–13 TASB/TASA Teacher Report Page 2 of 3
Salaries and Wages in Texas Public Schools Shortage Stipends Seventy‐four percent of respondents (445 districts) pay shortage stipends to teachers in at least one shortage area, up two percent from 2011–12. Most districts (87 percent) with more than 3,000 students pay critical shortage stipends in at least one area. Mathematics is the most frequently reported stipend paid with nearly half of districts (47 percent) paying an average stipend of $2,441. The average math stipend increased 3.5 percent this year. The average science stipend is $2,339, up 4.1 percent from 2011–12. As in the previous several years, math and science stipends are the most frequently paid but bilingual education stipends are generally higher. The average bilingual stipend is $2,495, also up from last year. 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.  273 districts (74 percent) pay an average stipend of $1,425 to high school department chairs.  250 districts (68 percent) pay an average stipend of $1,056 to middle school department chairs.  183 districts (50 percent) pay an average stipend of $807 to elementary school department chairs. Other Incentives In 2012–13, 64 districts (11 percent) indicated that the district provides signing bonuses to some newly hired teachers. The average reported signing bonus is $2,228. Of those, 50 (78 percent) indicated 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, 10 districts (3 percent) pay stipends to teachers for taking an assignment at a hard‐to‐staff campus. The average stipend is $2,434. There is wide variation in the amounts paid and the regional location of these districts. Campus assignment stipends range from $1,000 to $5,000. Twenty‐three districts (6 percent) pay an average stipend of $2,182 to teachers with National Board Certification® from the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS). Description of Survey This report is a compilation of salary information for classroom teachers collected by TASB HR Services during the fall of the 2012–13 school year. The survey questionnaire was sent to the 1,028 Texas 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. © 2012–13 TASB/TASA Teacher Report Page 3 of 3