MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott has been pushing school choice in the legislature for two years now, and in his recent State of the State Address, education savings accounts and teacher pay raises are among his priorities.
- Local school districts are chiming in as Governor Greg Abbott prioritizes education saving accounts, Waco ISD’s superintendent Dr. Tiffany Spicer said it could take away funding from public schools.
- Temple ISD Superintendent Bobby Ott asked for transparency with the emergency item.
- Although schools are excited about an increased salary for teachers, Midway ISD Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen said historically, when these raises have been implemented, it leaves out key players like bus drivers, educational aides, and custodians.
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“If you want to give the vouchers, the educational savings accounts, you have to make sure the rules are the same for everybody,” Dr. Tiffany Spicer said.
“The private school subsidy bill that the governor is passing should cause all of us to ask a couple of questions,” Dr. Chris Allen said.
Local school districts are chiming in as Governor Greg Abbott prioritizes education saving accounts. Waco ISD’s superintendent, Dr. Tiffany Spicer, told me it could take away funding from public schools.
“We are given a little over 6,000 dollars per student, and if they decide to give five to $10,000 per student, that money goes with students, and we lose.”
Temple ISD Superintendent Bobby Ott asked for transparency with the emergency item, saying,
“I am truly excited that Governor Abbott has listed teacher pay raises as an emergency item. I hope this item considers a general pay increase for all teachers, not just those in the Teacher Incentive Allotment. Further, I would recommend the teacher pay increase become part of the funding formulas as it did in 2019. This would guarantee sustainability far past the biennium, which I assume is Governor Abbott’s intent. Regarding school choice, it is not a surprise that this is an emergency item. However, it should include parameters of transparency and accountability, as in public education, because this would mirror conservative principles of using taxpayer dollars for public services. ESAs without transparency and accountability wouldn’t adhere to those stated conservative principles.”
Greg Abbott said in his address, “Government-mandated schools cannot meet the unique needs of every student. But Texas can provide families with choices to meet those needs,” he said, “We will continue to fund public schools and raise teacher pay fully, while also giving parents the choice they deserve.”
That teacher pay raise is now an emergency item.
“I’m excited that he’s talking about teachers, but I also want him and the legislative team to think about every aspect of education and all the people who put in work behind the scenes.”
Midway ISD Superintendent Dr. Chris Allen feeling the same way, he tells me historically when these raises have been implemented it leaves out key players like bus drivers, educational aides and custodians.
“It kinda puts us in a little bit of an uncomfortable position because it appears as though the state only values those who work in classrooms and have degrees, and we think those other people are equally as important to what we do for young people,” said Dr. Allen.
Regarding the Teacher pay raise, Governor Abbott emphasized the key role teachers play in students' success. He plans to give teachers a pay raise, putting them on a pathway to earning a six-figure salary by investing 750 million dollars in the 2026-2027 school year to expand the teacher incentive allotment.
Temple ISD and Midway ISD both believe this increase in teacher pay should become a part of the school's funding formula, which would ensure its sustainability. We will continue following these items in the sessions to come.
