HOUSTON, Texas — The Houston Independent School District (HISD) announced it will implement a performance-based pay raise system for teachers beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, diverging from traditional experience-based salary structures used by most other Texas school districts.
The decision follows the State of Texas’s passage of House Bill 2, which includes a Teacher Retention Allotment aimed at increasing compensation for educators across the state.
HISD stated that teacher salary increases will now be tied directly to individual performance evaluations under a new compensation framework.
The updated policy also includes investments in the educator pipeline and wage increases for bus drivers. HISD officials say the plan is part of broader efforts to improve student outcomes and retain high-performing educators.
However, the policy shift has drawn criticism from the teachers’ union representing thousands of HISD employees. Union leaders raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of linking pay raises to performance metrics, which they argue could lead to inconsistent or subjective outcomes.
“This approach adds uncertainty to teacher pay and ignores years of service and experience,” the union said in a statement. Union representatives are in ongoing discussions with district officials to address teacher concerns and seek potential adjustments to the plan.
HISD’s new policy puts it at odds with other large school districts in the region, which continue to base salary increases on tenure and years of service.
