TSTA: Texas Lags Behind Nation in Teacher Pay and Per-Pupil Spending

Texas per-pupil spending for this school year has dropped to 44th (near the bottom) nationally — and Texas teacher salaries trail the national average by more than $7,700, the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) reported Monday.

The TSTA used the data released by the National Education Association (NEA) to call on the governor and Legislature to dedicate half of the state’s record $33 billion budget surplus to significantly increase the state’s share of school funding and stop placing the largest burden on local property taxpayers.