On February 24, 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the release of the Final Report of the Teacher Vacancy Task Force that focuses on three primary areas of policy recommendations to address school district staffing challenges in Texas. The task force was created in March 2022 to help school districts address ongoing staffing retention and recruitment challenges.
Within three main policy categories — compensation, working conditions, and training and support — prioritized recommendations include:
- Funding an increase to overall teacher salaries through an increase to the basic allotment, an increase in the minimum salary schedule, and expansion of strategic compensation systems, such as the Teacher Incentive Allotment
- Expanding high-quality Grow-Your-Own pathways; teacher apprenticeships; and full-year, paid teacher residencies
- Funding for and increasing the scale of the Mentor Program Allotment (MPA)
- Funding, professional learning, and support for teachers to access and utilize High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM)
- Conducting teacher time studies and providing technical assistance for districts to develop strategic staffing and scheduling models that respect teacher time
The 46-member Teacher Vacancy Task Force is composed of teachers and school leaders representing all 20 Education Service Center regions and school systems of various sizes and demographic makeups.
See the Task Force’s final report.
