Making 6-Figure Pay a Reality for Teachers

by | June 6, 2025

What are some Texas districts doing to make six-figure pay a reality for their teachers, well before the end of long careers? Read about the example from one district, Midland, in our senior VP Sharon Kebschull Barrett’s op-ed in The 74.

“Ask teachers how much their pay matters, and they often shy away from a direct answer, feeling ashamed to admit they do their job for anything beyond a sheer love of helping students.

District leaders more openly acknowledge the importance of compensation, especially for teachers who must work a second job to make ends meet, and in regions that struggle to hire and retain educators.

But they can do more than just help their educators escape a two-job grind. In Texas, one district has made it possible for teachers to earn six-figure salaries without leaving the classroom — and without having to wait for decades.

Every state and district should make this their teachers’ reality.”

Read the full op-ed in How Some Texas Teachers Are Earning Six Figures — Without Leaving the Classroom.

Keep Reading

So You Got High Learning Growth—Now What?

As learning growth results continue to come in across the U.S. for the 2024–25 year, educators in many high-growth schools may find their celebrations tinged with an edge of dread. They and their students worked so hard for their results—but what now? Huge...