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State of Texas: Low Pay and Greater Expectations Have Texas Teachers Singing the Blues

Joanna Wojtkowiak

Patrick Michels Oct 1, 2014, 8:00 am CST

While school was out this summer, teachers across Texas were sounding off about why their jobs have become so hard. Years of high-stakes testing, chronic under-funding and news stories about failing schools have made classrooms an especially thankless place to work. Last year, the Texas Legislature commissioned a survey to get teachers’ honest opinions about their jobs. Fewer than a fifth of the state’s teachers bothered to reply—a signal, some unions said, of just how deep teachers’ mistrust for lawmakers runs.

Sources: Texas Education Agency, Dallas Morning News, TELL Texas Survey, and National Center for Education Statistics.

Illustration by Joanna Wojtkowiak

Do you think free access to journalism like this is important? The Texas Observer is known for its fiercely independent, uncompromising work—which we are pleased to provide to the public at no charge in this space. That means we rely on the generosity of our readers who believe that this work is important. You can chip in for as little as 99 cents a month. If you believe in this mission, we need your help.

Patrick Michels, a former Observer staff writer, is a reporter at the Center for Investigative Reporting.

You May Also Like:

Resignation Letter
I didn’t become a teacher for the paycheck. I did it to fight for marginalized students. by Nandini Balial
The Unlikely Demise of Texas’ Biggest Corporate Tax Break
After 20 years, the state’s most lucrative corporate welfare program comes to an end. by Justin Miller
Texas Educators Worry Bill Limiting the Teaching of Current Events and Historic Racism Would “Whitewash History”
Texas educators say they’re concerned they won’t be able to have open conversations about what’s happening in the world if the Texas Legislature approves a bill that restricts how teachers can discuss current events in the classroom. by Kate McGee, The Texas Tribune