Houston Schools New Budget Brings Needed Money for Teachers and

Houston Schools New Budget Brings Needed Money for Teachers and Improvements

Houston schools teachers have not had significant pay raise in seven years. The new Houston schools budget plans for an average 8.6 percent pay raise for teachers for the 2006-07 school year, with a total of $49.2 million in funding. The state is providing $31 million for the pay raises, and the Houston schools are providing $18.2 million from their own revenues. An additional $8 million increase also is included for teacher performance pay.

This is all part of the Houston schools proposed $1.4 billion budget for the 2006-07 school year, and the Houston schools will NOT increase school tax property rates by the allotted four cents per $100 of property.

The Houston schools believe the pay raises should make their district more competitive to attract more teaching talent. Newly recruited teachers will start at $40,268, an increase from last years $36,050 starting pay.

The Houston schools proposed budget also includes the following:

-> $1.9 million for principal and assistant principal pay raises of 5.1 percent. Again, the Houston schools intent is to make their...