The Garland Independent School District Board of Trustees approved pay raises for teachers and school staff for the 2022-2023 academic year at their monthly meeting held on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. The move increases the starting salary of a new teacher with no previous experience to $60,000 per year, a 6.5% increase over the current starting rate of $56,325.
In addition to the starting salary bump, all new teachers will receive an additional $500 to $1,000 signing bonus as an incentive, effectively raising the starting pay of new teachers to $60,500 for non-exempt and $61,000 for exempt status teachers in Fall 2022. Any staff member that began work for the school district after April 26, 2022, is eligible. Garland ISD will pay the sign-on stipends in December 2022.
Returning teachers will also see a pay raise and are eligible for a $2,000 retention bonus at the start of the school year. All returning teachers will receive a salary increase calculated at 5% of their pay grade midpoint. That means that the raises will vary depending on pay grade, current salary, and longevity, with most teachers seeing a salary bump somewhere in the range of 4% to 6%.
Teachers across Texas are watching the news of the salary increases in the Garland ISD move with interest. Texas currently ranks 28th nationally in teacher pay.
Texas has faced a teacher shortage for years. Modest salaries, long hours, dealing with student social-emotional health, and pressure around what they are allowed to teach have driven teachers to leave the profession at an alarming rate. During the COVID pandemic, increased stress, heavy workloads, and the pressures of remote learning have exacerbated the shortages.
According to WorkInTexas.com, there are 10,000 job openings for teachers in Texas. Teacher shortages have become so critical that Governor Abbott has ordered the creation of a Teacher Vacancy Task Force.
Reduced classroom sizes, teaching support, and increased salaries are steps needed to elevate the work and attract the best and brightest into the teaching field. Garland ISD has signaled the willingness to use financial incentives as one step toward attracting and retaining teachers.