Summary: While school security has been my primary focus, these visits have quickly revealed the severity of another problem: the teacher shortage... Nearly all of the ISDs suffering from the adverse effects of the teacher shortage have retired teachers available to step up and fill in the gaps.
Latest Update: Friday, 19 August, 2022
July 18, 2022
The Honorable Mike Morath
Commissioner, Texas Education Agency
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701-1494
Dear Commissioner Morath,
In the wake of the tragedy at Uvalde on May 24, the State of Texas has worked hard to better equip and secure our schools for the 2022-2023 academic year. During this time, my office and I met one-on-one with the 16 ISDs in House District 60 to discuss how my office can best support the students and teachers in the 88th Legislative Session.
While school security has been my primary focus, these visits have quickly revealed the severity of another problem: the teacher shortage. While your office has convened a special committee to find ways to promote teacher retention long-term, almost all of the ISDs I represent are headed into the next academic year either understaffed or supplemented with para-professionals with minimal formal-teaching proficiency.
Nearly all of the ISDs suffering from the adverse effects of the teacher shortage have retired teachers available to step up and fill in the gaps. These teachers bring decades of classroom expertise to districts struggling to recruit new educators. Moreover, in the wake of historical inflation, gas prices, and deflated purchasing power of annuities, many of these retirees are eager to return to work to supplement their income in the communities they love.
Unfortunately, Texas statute currently penalizes retirees from returning to work full-time unless the educator has taken a year- long hiatus from the profession. Texas law further requires the school districts to pay a 16% surcharge for each retired teacher they hire, as well as a significant contribution to the insurance system. Under normal circumstances, these guidelines are to maintain the actuarial soundness of the TRS Fund; however, it is clear that our state is not under normal circumstances, and many of the school districts across the state are forced to forgo experienced teachers due to the added expense.
On behalf of my constituents, I am requesting that you work with the appropriate state agencies to make an emergency ruling to declare the teacher shortage a state of emergency and temporarily suspend the pension surcharge for the upcoming 2022-23 academic year. Additionally. we would ask for a suspension of the one-year wait period for any retiree who retired before Aug. 3I, 2022. Testimony over this proposal in the past has found that a non-permanent suspension of the surcharge would not damage the solvency of the TRS Fund; additionally, it would give our school districts a much-needed boost to fill out experienced staff ahead of the academic year.
While this ruling is not a long-term resolution, a reprieve from the surcharge and wait requirements would provide immediate flexibility to our school districts before we reconvene to discuss a permanent solution.
Respectfully,
Representative Glenn Rogers
Texas House District 60
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