Texas teachers

At a gathering for teachers in Houston, educators saw Harris as a potential ally at a time when conservatives push for changes in Texas classrooms.

The Legislature also failed to pass election-related bills.

The 46-member committee’s report found compensation, training and better working conditions were key in helping Texas retain and hire teachers.

State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, said his bill would be the largest salary increase for teachers in the state’s history. 'That's the kind of bold action this moment requires. And we can do this,' he said.

It's possible more people will start applying for teacher positions again when the wider labor market calms down, but thousands of experienced teachers have already left the classroom. They won’t be easy to replace.

Several San Antonio school districts raised salaries this year in hopes that would stave off the teacher shortage. But the shortage was still felt more acutely this year than last year.

One of the reasons San Antonio is struggling to find enough teachers this school year is that many districts saw a spike in resignations at the end of last school year.

In big cities across the country, teachers are almost always in demand. And amid the so-called “Great Resignation,” that may be truer now than ever. Until school starts in August, it’s impossible to know exactly how many teachers Texas will be in need. But some Dallas instructors suspect a higher-than-typical number of their colleagues won’t return to class this fall.

The National Education Association continues to search for salaries for new teachers, while in Texas the pay for experienced educators is stagnant.

In many places in Texas, staffing shortages are forcing already burnt out teachers to cover for sick coworkers. The job was tough before the pandemic, but in the last two years, teachers have been spread thin. The workload is pushing educators to leave the profession, and forcing school districts to do what they can to retain them.