Texas continues to lag behind other states when it comes to teacher pay, according to data the National Education Association released Monday.
The 2023 NEA Rankings and Estimates report shows the average salary for a public school teacher in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 school year was $66,745. The national average for the current school year is projected to be $68,469, an increase of 2.6%.
In Texas, which employs more teachers than any other state, the average salary during the last school year was $58,887. That figure is expected to be $60,716 this school year.
The data is troubling for Ovidia Molina, president of the Texas State Teachers Association.