Tell your state representative and state senator that now is the time to reinvest in our schoolchildren and teachers by restoring equitable and adequate funding for our school districts and ensuring a substantial pay raise for all Texas teachers.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you to vote for budget and school-finance bills that (a) restore equitable and adequate funding for our school districts and (b) ensure a substantial pay raise for all Texas teachers. It is time to reinvest in Texas schoolchildren.

Since 2006 state funding for school districts has stagnated, and funding inequities have been frozen in place. In many school districts, the budget squeeze already is translating into larger class sizes, salary freezes and reductions, layoffs of teachers and other key personnel, and cuts in vital educational programs such as pre-kindergarten.

Average teacher pay in Texas also has stagnated, barely keeping up with inflation since 2001. Texas teachers' pay lags 20 percent below salaries for comparable occupations in our state, and our teachers are paid $5,617 less than the national average.

With available state funds plus billions of dollars in federal economic-recovery aid, I ask you to use the budget bill (SB 1) coming up for a House vote on April 17 and upcoming school-finance bills (such as HB 3646 and SB 982/HB 1555) to restore adequacy and equity in school finance and to increase teacher pay substantially.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 06, 2009