North Texas educators disappointed state lawmakers haven't approved teacher pay raises
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — U'Lyna Trice and George Cuba represent the different levels of teaching experience in North Texas classrooms, but their passion for the work is the same.
"I'm always looking forward to meeting new students, working with staff," Trice, who's worked as a teacher for 25 years, said.
Cuba, a three-year teaching assistant, agreed. "It's always nice to see them coming back a year older and closer to graduation."
They recently discussed their concerns and hopes for the new school year, which begins for most North Texas districts in the next few weeks.
Like tens of thousands of teachers in the State of Texas, Trice and Cuba counted on receiving a raise.
State lawmakers, though, didn't approve a pay increase for teachers during their regular legislative session. However, they will consider doing so during a third special session this fall as part of a $5 billion boost in school funding.
"I was very disappointed when it came out that we would not be receiving raises," Trice said. "I was thrown off by it. It kind of hurt because they always say we're important, we're needed. And we are. But when this happened, it showed me—well, are we really that important?"
Cuba felt the same way. "It's always said teachers are important, they're heroes. And then when it comes to put the money where their mouth is, there's nothing."
To help recruit new teachers and to keep those in the profession from leaving, Governor Greg Abbott's Teacher Vacancy Task Force made a number of recommendations, including funding "a significant increase in overall teacher salaries."
The report released earlier this year shows newer teachers quitting in higher numbers than those with more experience.
Both Trice and Cuba told CBS News Texas that dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic brought them to the point where they nearly decided to walk away from the career.
"I was thinking about my family, thinking about my own health," Trice said. "That was a point in my career where I was just, you know...I didn't want to do this anymore. I had to calm down and just think about [how] we need to be here for these kids."
Cuba said that students who are "a bit more" unruly and who push boundaries can also be a reason teachers decide to leave. "Because of that, some teachers have resigned...I've thought twice about it."
Nonetheless, he decided to stay in the profession he loves.
"For the past few years, I built relationships with my coworkers, my school, especially my students, and I care about their growth and development," Cuba, who's hoping to become a full-time high school math teacher this year, said.
The Teacher Vacancy Task Force found nearly half of the state's teachers said student discipline problems are a top concern.
"Disregarding teachers' directions, talking back to teachers and those kind of issues led one of my coworkers to quit because it just became too much," Cuba shared.
Trice, who taught in Georgia and Ilinois before coming to Texas, said virtual learning during the pandemic hurt student achievement and socialization skills.
"Once they came back into school, it's like starting all over," she explained. "It was more than day one, it was like, 'How do you do school again?' The consensus has been with most of the teachers who I've worked with through the teachers' union, they felt as though they weren't being supported when it came to discipline."
Despite these challenges, Trice and Cuba said they're not giving up on teaching.
"We're going to keep fighting. I'm still very hopeful for that," Trice said. "I still get excited when it comes time for school. I'm excited about what I'm going to do. What I love about teaching is the opportunity to see a person grow and I have the opportunity to be creative in helping them to the next level."
Cuba said he's hopeful things will get better.
"Things only get better when we do our best to make them better," he said. "Personally, I don't want to leave. But if I'm made to leave...that's a sad thing. We don't want to push away people from being teachers. We want people to see teaching is not only a dignified, but a viable profession."
Watch the full interview with Trice and Cuba below: