Salaries

The Texas Education Code establishes a state minimum salary schedule that must be implemented by Texas public school districts for specific public education professionals: Texas classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time counselors and full-time school nurses (RNs only). There is no state minimum salary for any other position. Provisions regarding the state minimum salary schedule do not apply to charter schools and may be modified by school districts with a district of innovation plan.

State minimum salary schedule

Thanks to a TCTA-drafted provision in state law, the minimum salary is tied to increases in the basic allotment, which serves as the foundation of school funding. Districts that pay above the state minimum salary are not required to pass through step increases as long as each covered employee is paid at least the state minimum for each step for each 10 months of employment. Salaries may even be reduced subject to the restrictions below, so it is important to be aware of any polices relating to compensation.

State minimum salary schedule for 2025-26*

*Total years of creditable experience as of Sept. 1. This annual amount is for 10-month contracts.

Compensation increases

Teacher Retention Allotment: Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, House Bill 2, passed in 2025, requires districts (including charter schools and DOIs) to increase salaries for educators who teach in an academic or CTE instructional setting for at least four hours each day. This does not include teacher’s aides or full-time administrators.

For districts with 5,000 students or fewer, teachers with three to four years of experience receive an additional $4,000, while those with five or more years of experience receive an additional $8,000.

For districts with more than 5,000 students, teachers with three to four years of experience receive an additional $2,500, while those with five or more years of experience receive an additional $5,000. 

These salary increases are ongoing and as a teacher accrues more years of experience, they will obtain the appropriate raises.

For example, a teacher in a district with fewer than 5,000 students who completes their third year of teaching would then receive a $4,000 raise the next school year.

If a school district is applying to be an enhanced Teacher Incentive Allotment system, they must instead increase salaries based on performance (see "incentive pay" below).

Support Staff Retention Allotment: For non-administrative staff that do not receive the Teacher Retention Allotment, each school district receives $45 per student in average daily attendance to increase their salaries. HB 2 does not specify the exact amount to be provided to each non-administrative staff member, so districts have discretion on how to spend the Support Staff Retention Allotment to increase salaries.

Salary reductions

Several decisions of the commissioner of education provide that any salary reduction must be adopted no later than the date that an employee can resign from a district without penalty (45 calendar days prior to the first day of instruction). A district that intends to reduce the salary of an individual teacher or other educator subject to the minimum salary schedule must notify the employee by the same deadline. School districts enacting a widespread reduction in salaries for classroom teachers due to financial conditions also must reduce the salaries of administrators and other professional employees by a commensurate percentage.

See contracts

Incentive Pay

The Teacher Incentive Allotment provides funds to districts for use in local incentive pay systems that designate a teacher as a master, exemplary or recognized teacher. The designation must be based on appraisals and student performance. 

Local systems must be approved by the Texas Education Agency. Regardless of whether a district has an approved local system, a teacher holding National Board Certification is automatically designated as “recognized.”

Districts and open-enrollment charters with approved teacher designation systems, which the commissioner has ensured meet statutory requirements and prioritize high-needs campuses, are eligible to receive an allotment for each designated teacher. The allotments in each category below are generated by multipliers based on the district’s high-need or rural status, or both:

• Master teacher: $12,000 to $32,000
• Exemplary teacher: $6,000 to $18,000
• Recognized teacher: $3,000 to $9,000

A district must annually certify that at least 90% of the allotment was used for compensation of teachers employed at the designated teacher’s campus. Allotment funds are tied to the designated teacher, not the campus or district. If a teacher moves between school years, the allotment follows the teacher to the new district, regardless of whether the new district has an approved system, although funding may not be awarded to their new district until the following year.

Districts may choose whether or not to forward funds to designated teachers who leave the district or move to a non-teaching position prior to the Aug. 31 spending deadline. This depends on the district’s local spending plan.

House Bill 2 revised the TIA program, including increases in the allotment amounts beginning in 2026. A new base level “acknowledged” designation will be added, and this category will include National Board certified teachers (although SBEC is required to review whether this certification will continue to automatically qualify for a TIA designation). 

Starting Sept. 1, 2026, the categories will be:

• Master teacher: $12,000 to $36,000
• Exemplary teacher: $9000 to $25,000
• Recognized teacher: $5,000 to $15,000
• Acknowledged teacher: $3,000 to $9,000

TEA is also developing rules for enhanced TIA designation that qualifies approved districts for 10% more funding. These districts will no longer be able to provide across-the-board salary increases (except for significant inflation), must pay teachers and principals based on performance, and must place highly effective teachers at high-need campuses.

Watch our Tuesdays with TCTA: HB 2 and You video to learn more.

Read more on the Teacher Incentive Allotment program