The Permian High School football team practices in Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
School is back in session for Houston students, which means football season is also right around the corner. We all know how huge high school football is in Texas: Not only does the NFL recruit a disproportionately high number of players from the Lone Star State, but the hit show “Friday Night Lights” was also set in a tiny Texas town.
But among the excitement comes the harsh reality of how much more football coaches are paid compared to high school teachers. With the Houston ISD teachers union currently embroiled in a fight over state-funded raises being distributed on performance versus tenure, teacher salaries are at the forefront of this school year.
“Our understanding was that the money was to help retain teachers and also give teacher raises that are very long overdue,” Jackie Anderson, the president of the Houston Federation of Teachers said.
The top five highest paid high school football coaches in 2024 were:
- Chad Simmons at Taylor High School, $137,703. The starting teacher pay at Katy ISD was estimated to be $64,130.
- Willie Gaston at North Shore High School, $138,991. The starting teacher pay at Galena Park Independent School District was estimated to be $69,000
- John Snelson at Dickinson High School, $154,030. The starting teacher pay at Dickinson Independent School District was estimated to be $53,265.
- Gary Joseph at Katy High School, $155,077. The starting teacher pay at Katy ISD was estimated to be $64,130.
- Carl Abseck at Barbers Hill High School, $179,918. The starting teacher pay at Barbers Hill Independent School District was estimated to be $65,500.
An anonymous Houston ISD teacher told Houston Public Media that when they started at the district over two decades ago, they were making $64,000. Twenty years later, they’re only making $75,000.
“I worked as hard and as many hours as the person next to me, and if my co-teacher and I are putting in the same number of hours and we’re working just as hard, I think we should be getting paid the same,” they said.
However, the argument for why coaches get paid so much can boil down to a few things: They’re coaching an extracurricular and may receive a stipend for it, or they’re being paid as the school’s athletic director, overseeing athletic programs. Coaches also often work nights and weekends because of games.
Still, when you look at how little teacher pay has grown over the past two decades, the question becomes bigger than sports. It’s about whether local and state leaders are investing enough in the people tasked with educating Houston’s kids.
