As educators who feel deeply about strengthening the public schools that play critical roles in preparing Texas children for the future, the Texas State Teachers Association is supporting Democrat Colin Allred over Republican Ted Cruz for the U.S. Senate.
Allred’s mother was a teacher who instilled in her son the importance of public schools and taught him to respect the hard work and dedication of educators. The upbringing he received at home and in Dallas public schools provided the foundation for the extraordinary success Allred has achieved as a professional athlete, civil rights attorney and member of Congress. But Allred knows that teachers need more support and classrooms need more resources to give all students the tools to find their own opportunities and turn them into success.
That is an important part of Allred’s Senate campaign and a critical difference between him and his opponent. Allred remembers his single mom taking extra jobs to supplement her teacher salary and make financial ends meet. So, he understands how critical higher pay is for today’s underpaid Texas teachers, who on average are paid more than $9,000 less than the national average, according to the National Education Association’s latest rankings of each state’s financial commitment to public education.
One-third of TSTA’s teacher-members have had to take extra jobs during the school year to meet family budgets, Sam Houston State University researchers found in a survey last spring. Th.