Two-thirds of those who make the public schools function in Texas say they want to leave, according to a new survey and the teachers union said parents should be alarmed.
Nicole Hill, communications director for the American Federation of Teachers-Texas, said the percentage of people dissatisfied is inching up in each survey. A large education funding package failed in the legislature last year and Gov. Greg Abbott has said he won’t support it unless lawmakers also agree to voucher programs to subsidize students’ private education.
Hill observed the impasse has left school employees burned out.
“Teachers and nurses and counselors and bus drivers — everybody who works in a school — say that they are actively considering leaving their jobs,” Hill reported. “And not just their job at that school, but the whole profession.”
About 78% of educators fear privatization efforts like vouchers and charter school expansion will negatively affect their public school, including almost 60% of Republican educators surveyed. The results also showed 92% of educators say they are ready to express their dissatisfaction at the polls in November.
Hill believes parents should be concerned about who will be teaching their kids, feeding them lunch and making sure they get home safely. To keep them in the profession, Hill noted teachers want two major things addressed in a meaningful way.
“Salaries. Wages that actually reflect the worth of their work and that allow them to just work the one job and devote all their time to it,” Hill outlined. “Simultaneously, they need workloads that actually are manageable and sustainable.”
Hill added a bill introduced to address workload in the schools did not receive a hearing in the legislature last year. The survey solicited nearly 3,300 responses in January 2024 from American Federation of Teachers-Texas members.
