Five Key Solutions to Improve Texas Public Schools

In February, a local town hall meeting with Texas House Representative Helen Kerwin prompted Jessica Clingan to voice her concerns regarding the representative’s understanding of public education issues. Following the meeting, Clingan invited Representative Kerwin to visit her classroom. During a subsequent phone conversation on March 14, Representative Kerwin asked Clingan to propose five solutions for improving public schools, as well as five points regarding the voucher bill. This article presents Jessica Clingan’s response, which outlines actionable steps for enhancing public education and addresses the challenges associated with the voucher bill.

Clingan notes that Representative Kerwin agreed to share this information with all members of the Texas House. However, since Representative Kerwin has not yet responded to Clingan’s submission, Clingan has now sent this information to all members of the Texas House Committee on Public Education. Here is the information she provided.

First, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to Representative Kerwin. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to provide input on such an important and pressing matter. Ensuring the success of Texas public schools is an issue that is incredibly important to me and one that I am deeply passionate about. I am grateful for your willingness to hear my thoughts on the matter, despite our differences of opinion about school vouchers and ESAs. Texans, as a majority, are NOT in favor of any sort of vouchers, ESAs, or public funds going to private schools. A vast majority of Texans are in favor of fully funding public schools.

Texas public schools face severe underfunding, teacher shortages, and outdated policies and regulations that hinder student success. Addressing these challenges requires increased state investment, salary reforms, assessment restructuring, stronger workforce preparation, and discipline reform.

Increase Teacher Pay and Retention Efforts with State Funding

Rationale: Texas teachers are among the lowest paid in the country, contributing to high turnover and critical teacher shortages. School districts, especially in low-income areas, struggle to provide competitive salaries. The state must greatly increase the basic allotment per student to ensure equitable teacher pay without overburdening local taxpayers.

Evidence

Texas teachers earned an average salary of $59,889 in 2022-2023, which is $7,700 below the national average (National Education Association, 2023).
Due to inflation, teachers made nearly $6,000 less in 2023 compared to 2019 (Texas AFT, 2023).
Over 60% of Texas teachers work a second job to make ends meet (Texas AFT, 2023).
In 2023, 40+ school districts laid off teachers due to budget shortfalls (Texas Tribune, 2023).

Solution

Increase the basic allotment by a minimum of $1,300 per student to provide salary raises and funding without relying on local taxpayers. ● State-funded salary increases are essential, alongside teacher retention programs.

Fully Fund Public Schools and Adjust for Inflation

Rationale: Texas schools are underfunded due to outdated funding policies and rising inflation, leading to school closures and program cuts.

Evidence

The basic allotment of $6,160 per student in 2019 should now exceed $7,500 to keep up with inflation (Legislative Budget Board, 2024).
Texas schools are funded at $4,000 less per student than the national average (Texas School Finance Commission, 2018).
Over 90 districts have closed schools or laid off staff due to financial constraints (Texas Tribune, 2023).

Solution

Raise the state’s share of school funding and increase the basic allotment by a minimum of $1,300 to adjust for inflation.

Eliminate STAAR and Use Nationally Normed Growth Assessments

Rationale: The STAAR test is a high-stakes, punitive assessment. Texas should replace it with NWEA MAP Growth, which tracks individual student success and growth more accurately.

Evidence

STAAR has been widely criticized for complexity and cultural bias (Texas Public Policy Foundation, 2023).
NWEA MAP Growth allows for three tests annually to track personal student growth (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2023).
Research shows growth-based assessments like MAP offer a more accurate picture of student learning (Mehta & Fine, 2019).

Solution

Replace STAAR with NWEA MAP Growth to focus on individual student growth instead of pass/fail outcomes for students.

Address the Teacher Shortage with Better Working Conditions

Rationale: Texas faces a critical teacher shortage, often being forced to rely on uncertified educators to fill spots in empty classrooms. Improving working conditions, supporting alternative certification programs, and incentivizing education careers can help.

Evidence

20% of classrooms in some districts are staffed by uncertified teachers (TEA, 2023).
Reducing class sizes and increasing planning time improves teacher retention (RAND Corporation, 2021).

Solution

Strengthen alternative certification programs and provide state-funded support for teacher preparation and classroom resources.
Better Health Insurance Boosts Teacher Retention: Texas funds only $75/month for teacher health insurance (unchanged since 2002), while costs have soared. Increased state funding can ease this burden for our educators, making teaching more sustainable. Perhaps teachers should be eligible for ERS rather than TRS.

Address the Discipline Crisis in Texas Schools

Rationale: Discipline issues in Texas schools have rapidly worsened. In many cases, students and teachers have been injured due to violence in classrooms. With teachers and administrators having limited authority to manage disruptive behaviors, this problem will only continue to grow.

Evidence

60% of teachers cite student discipline as a major reason for leaving the profession (Texas AFT, 2023).
80% of Texas educators believe current discipline policies are too lenient, leading to increased misbehavior and violence (Texas Public Policy Foundation, 2023).

Solution

Restore teacher authority in the classroom, strengthen behavior intervention programs, and increase staffing for resource officers and mental health professionals.

Conclusion

Fixing Texas public schools requires increased teacher salaries, improved funding, assessment reform, better working conditions, and stronger discipline policies. Raising the basic allotment by at least $1,300 per student can help address funding gaps and improve teacher pay without overburdening local taxpayers.

References

Legislative Budget Board. (2024). Texas Public School Finance Overview.
National Education Association. (2023). Teacher Salary Benchmark Report 2022-2023.
Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). (2023). MAP Growth Assessment.
RAND Corporation. (2021). The Impact of Restorative Discipline in Schools: Analyzing Effectiveness and Challenges.
Texas AFT. (2023). Texas Teacher Workforce Report.
Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2023). Texas Teacher Vacancy Task Force Report.
Texas Public Policy Foundation. (2023). The STAAR Test: Effectiveness, Criticism, and Potential Reforms.
Texas School Finance Commission. (2018). School Funding Reform Report.
Texas Tribune. (2023). Texas School Districts Face Budget Shortfalls, Layoffs, and Closures