Districts, not state, must pay teacher funds

07.10.08

Houston Chronicle

School districts across the state will have to pick up the $100 million annual cost of benefits related to a teacher pay raise enacted two years ago, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has ruled.

Districts had argued that the state should cover the extra payments into the Teacher Retirement System because it was the Legislature that mandated the $2,500 salary hike.

But Abbott said the pay raise was structured to be added to local supplemental pay rather than the statutory minimum teacher wages.

Top News

11.24.08

Schools feel pinch from economic woes

School districts across the United States are tightening their belts in anticipation of a meager fiscal diet that could carry into 2011.

As state and local revenue declines, officials are looking for the trims least likely to harm the quality of education. Although some districts have rainy-day funds to tap, concern is growing that students, particularly those who are struggling to learn or who are homeless, are going to feel the pinch.

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Toolkit: Importance of Advanced Math

This toolkit by Achieve highlights the connection between higher-lever math courses and student readiness for college, work and life. Resources include fact sheets, presentations, policy papers and brochures.

Click here to access the toolkit.