The effort has been slow to gain traction partly because the loudest opposition comes from teachers themselves. Some Texas teachers complain that the extra pay is doled out unfairly and pits colleagues against one another, even as recipients report life-changing raises that have paid off debts and funded long-awaited vacations.
“This merit-based pay breeds hostility, it breeds competition,” said fourth-grade teacher Stephanie Stoebe.
The reaction in Texas shows why attempts to pay U.S. teachers based on performance have often fizzled, even amid widespread calls to make teacher pay more competitive. Teachers make $67,000 on average nationwide, with average starting salaries of $43,000. The majority are paid based on seniority, with stipends for postgraduate degrees and extra duties, a system preferred by teachers unions.