FWISD Aims to Raise Teacher Pay, But Austin Has the Final Say.

School’s out and summer’s here — but not so fast. While students are off for the season, a teacher pay raise is still very much in the works. The catch? It’s not a done deal just yet.

Fort Worth ISD is pushing a $22 million plan to increase teacher compensation for the 2025-26 school year. Part of the proposal includes bumping starting salaries from $63,000 to $64,500. The district wants to keep up with — and maybe outdo — neighboring districts.

But the big raises for experienced teachers? That depends entirely on the Texas Legislature. Lawmakers are debating a $4.2 billion deal that would boost teacher pay across the state and send districts an extra $55 per student. If it passes, FWISD would get about $20.7 million for raises — but only for teachers with three or more years of experience.

New teacher pay hikes would still fall on the district’s shoulders, costing around $1.3 million. Board members like Tobi Jackson are eager to push the starting pay even higher to stay ahead of the curve, but school officials say they need to wait until Austin makes the next move. A final vote is expected by June 2, with FWISD’s board voting on the budget soon after.

For Jacob Sanchez’s full story, check it out at fortworthreport.org.