Should Teachers Make $70k a Year? One Texas Rep Thinks So

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The annual pay of teachers has always been a hot topic across the country. Most people believe teachers should be paid more for what they do, but nobody has been able to agree on what that amount should be. Well, one Texas representative is pushing to raise the minimum salary for teachers to $70,000 a year in the Lone Star state.

Rep. James Talarico, from Round Rock Texas, has filed a bill in the state of Texas that would set a teacher's pay at $70k minimum with an adjustment for inflation that will increase over time. Talarico, who is a former teacher, said "No teacher should have to work two jobs to keep the lights on". He went on to say some of his former colleagues had to do everything from selling plasma to driving an Uber just to make ends meet and that after enduring the COVID pandemic and several other major obstacles, that teachers deserve better.

The former Middle School teacher has already done some amazing things for teachers and schools in Texas. During his first term in office, Talarico helped draft a school finance reform that provided Texas schools with more $11.6 billion in new education funding. Could a big pay raise be next? We'll find out soon enough.