A grassroots coalition of school districts and public school advocates sounded a “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” alarm today to urge parents, teachers, district team members and other supporters to contact state lawmakers about providing more funding for Texas public schools.While there is only one month left in the Texas legislative session, there is still time for lawmakers to allocate more of the state’s record $32.7 billion surplus to public education.Supporters of public schools are encouraged to take 15 seconds to access this link that will send a request to their individual state lawmakers seeking more funding for public education.“We appreciate that lawmakers have already set aside additional funding for public education this year, but it isn’t enough to keep up with inflation,” said Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde during a news conference attended by representatives from 11 North Texas school districts. “As a result, school districts will not be able to offer significant salary increases to their teachers and team members at budget time. That’s why we’re issuing this distress call to all of our supporters to contact their lawmakers during this last month of the session to seek more funding.”From June 2019 to February 2023, inflation in Texas increased 17% according to the Texas Consumer Price Index. In 2022, the Legislative Budget Board estimated that current school funding is at 2014 levels when adjusting for inflation. Schools have seen fixed costs such as utilities, insurance, and fuel rise dramatically in the past several years.At the same time, the school employee shortage has grown to include teachers, in addition to other positions such as bus drivers, custodians, aides, and special education staff members. School district compensation for these valued team members has not kept pace with inflation because school districts have not received additional revenue.“To keep up with inflation, our basic allotment must increase by nearly $1,000 across the board, and we are not there yet,” said Nancy Humphrey, vice president, Plano ISD Board of Trustees. “School districts need additional funding to be made whole for the inflation impact over the last four years and going forward.”“Next month, school boards throughout the state will be approving their budgets for the following year, and the major part of our budget is school staff, in particular teachers. Given the challenges in the teaching profession, a significant pay increase is just a part of what we can do to show our teachers we value their work,” added Richardson ISD School Board President Regina Harris. “Contact your legislators and ask that they use the record budget surplus to help school districts give a meaningful pay raise for our teachers and staff.”The news conference also featured remarks from a parent leader, a representative of the business community and a teacher.“At some point this summer, teachers will learn what their salary will be for the next school year—and they will be faced with an impossible decision. Can I make it one more year—or, at a time when jobs are available, do I jump to an easier job where I can make more money?” said Irene Cardoso, a teacher at Cedar Hill ISD’s Collegiate Academy and High School. “How can I make my check stretch? What corners will I have to cut to make this work? We need to do what we can to help them make the decision to stay.”“As parents, we need to take a moment and share with our lawmakers why Texas public schools should be fully funded. It takes just 15 seconds to support your teachers and their students,” said Melinda Samberson, past president of the Frisco ISD Council of PTAs. “We only have one more month to show our teachers and their students that we see them and that we are standing in their corner.”“When we talk about the team of individuals working in our schools, we need to recognize the enormously difficult challenge that they have at this moment in time,” said Doug McDonald, director of economic development for the City of Plano. “As Texans, we need to do all we can to help them keep up with the rising cost of inflation. When we don’t do that, they are like the rest of us; they get discouraged and seek other employment. We can’t afford for that to happen.”Eleven North Texas school districts participated in the call to action today representing more than 400,000 students, nearly 30,000 teachers and nearly 60,000 district staff members. School districts involved included:
- Dallas ISD
- Cedar Hill ISD
- Coppell ISD
- Denton ISD
- DeSoto ISD
- Frisco ISD
- Lancaster ISD
- Little Elm ISD
- Mesquite ISD
- Plano ISD
- Richardson ISD
Other districts that are supportive include:
- Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD
- Lewisville ISD
