Texas Bill Would Raise Minimum Teacher Pay to $70,000 Get our free mobile app Let me start out by saying that teachers deserve every penny of this and more! Texas Representative James Talarico has announced a bill that would set the minimum teacher salary at $70,000, with an adjustment for inflation and an increase over time. This comes after a very stressful year for our teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic As reported by KVUE in Austin, on Thursday, Rep Talarico announced that he filed HB-3580, which would set the minimum salary at $70,000. The man behind the bill knows a thing or two about being an educator. State Rep Talarico served as a public school teacher and as the executive director for a nonprofit that provides technology to students. He goes on to tell KUVE “No teacher should have to work two jobs to keep the lights on. As a former teacher, I watched my coworkers drive for Uber at night and sell their blood plasma for extra money,” said Talarico. “In only 12 months, our teachers have endured a global pandemic, an economic collapse, and a deadly winter storm. I’m filing HB 3580 mandating a minimum salary of $70,000 for every teacher in Texas because our educators deserve nothing less.”