Teachers union sues Houston ISD over performance-based pay raises | Houston Public Media

Dominic Anthony Walsh/Houston Public Media

The office for the Houston Federation of Teachers, the union for HISD teachers.

The Houston Federation of Teachers has filed a lawsuit against Houston ISD for its decision to distribute state-funded teacher raises based on performance rather than experience.

The lawsuit, which also names state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles and the district’s state-appointed board of managers as defendants, was filed in Harris County on Wednesday. The lawsuit also included a request for a temporary restraining order against HISD to prevent the district from spending the funds on anything other than teacher pay raises. The restraining order was denied Wednesday by Judge Donna Roth.

The lawsuit comes about a month after Houston ISD released its 2025-26 compensation plan, which included performance-based teacher pay raises. The funding for teacher pay raises was included in House Bill 2, an $8.5 billion school funding plan.

RELATED: Texas’ $8.5B school funding plan is headed to Abbott’s desk. What it means for students and teachers

According to HB 2, school districts with over 5,000 students are required to increase teacher pay by $2,500 for classroom teachers with at least three years of “teaching experience.” Teachers with five or more years are supposed to receive a $5,000 increase. HB 2 refers to these raises as the “Teacher Retention Allotment.”

The lawsuit accuses HISD of not following HB 2’s compensation plan.

“Rather than passing along the state-funded salary increase to all its eligible teachers through a salary increase, HISD adopted a compensation for 2025-26 that does not include the Teacher Retention Allotment,” the lawsuit states. “HISD has apparently determined that it does not need to follow the statute as written but will use the state funds for performance bonuses or other purposes.”

In the lawsuit, the Houston Federation of Teachers — which represents thousands of HISD teachers — argues that since HB 2 does not include an exemption for HISD, the district is therefore distributing the funds illegally.

Rather than distributing the pay raises as laid out by HB 2, HISD’s 2025-26 compensation plan will instead give teachers pay raises based on their Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System score from the 2024-25 school year.

HISD has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit but said via a statement to Houston Public Media that teacher effectiveness is the “most important factor in student achievement.”

“The teacher pay-for-performance system represents the most significant increase in individual teacher compensation,” the district said. “We are pleased with the ruling and believe that the judge followed the law in denying [the Houston Federation of Teachers’] request for a temporary restraining order.”

In a statement to Houston Public Media, Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson said the union is still optimistic and is exploring next steps.

“We were concerned that HISD was not following the law in respect to the purpose or intended purpose of the money from the state,” she said. “I had reached out to HISD in early July after they made the announcement that they were only going to give teachers $2,500 and that the other $2,500 for the five-year group was not going to be paid, but I did not get a response. Therefore, we decided through our attorney that we would take it to court.”

The next court date is set for Aug. 7, when the judge has ordered HISD to appear and explain why a temporary restraining order should not be granted to the teachers union.

Great Job & the Team @ Houston Public Media Source link for sharing this story.

#FROUSA #HillCountryNews #NewBraunfels #ComalCounty #LocalVoices #IndependentMedia

Felicia Ray Owens
Felicia Ray Owenshttps://feliciarayowens.com
Felicia Ray Owens is a media founder, cultural strategist, and civic advocate who creates platforms where power meets lived truth. As the voice behind C4: Coffee. Cocktails. Culture. Conversation and the founder of FROUSA Media, she uses storytelling, public dialogue, and organizing to spotlight the issues that matter most—locally and nationally. A longtime advocate for community wellness and political engagement, Felicia brings experience as a former Precinct Chair and former Chief Communications Officer of Indivisible Hill Country. Her work bridges culture, activism, and healing through curated spaces designed to inspire real change. Learn more at FROUSA.org

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