The average teacher pay across Texas has fallen more than $10,000 below the national average according to the Texas State Teachers Association.

The mass majority of teachers in Texas say they are on the verge of quitting, according to a recent survey conducted by the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA).

Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina released a scathing statement aimed at Texas policymakers on Monday.

The Texas State Teachers Association is applauding Dallas Independent School District and Austin ISD after announcing they will require masks amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state, defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates.

Dallas Independent School District is defying an order from Gov. Greg Abbott and requiring that all students, staff and visitors wear masks.

Here are the COVID plans for San Antonio-area school districts for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The TSTA plea to Gov. Abbott comes as COVID-19 cases are rising across the state and after the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that everyone over the age of two wear a mask in school.

When Texas schools returned to in-person education last fall, the spread of coronavirus “gradually but substantially accelerated,” leading to at least 43,000 additional cases and 800 additional deaths statewide, according to a study released Monday.

Resigning was an extreme response, but Dawer is not alone among Texas teachers in mistrusting how school districts are managing health and safety this fall. Texas teachers cannot go on strike. The local teachers association is now in daily talks with the administration on how educators can return safely. Administrators argue that they need teachers in classrooms to instruct and supervise an ever-changing number of students learning in person. Disclosure: The Texas State Teachers Association, Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of School Boards and Texas AFT have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

SAN ANTONIO – As school districts across the state have started to reopen to in-person learning, members of the Texas State Teachers Association have reported hundreds of violations of COVID-19 safety guidelines. All of these infractions, the union said in a statement, reinforce union member’s concerns about the safety of school employees, students and their families. “The biggest issue our members are raising involves inadequate accommodations for high-risk employees or those with high-risk dependents at home," said Union President Ovidia Molina. The union also has received large numbers of reports from its members about violations of the governor’s mask order in schools and inadequate personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies. The state of Texas has been in too big a hurry to reopen school buildings.

SAN ANTONIO The Texas State Teachers Association announced Tuesday that they are demanding to start the school year by utilizing remote learning models. It is not right to require teachers and other school employees to endanger their health and even their lives by returning to campuses when it is too dangerous to do so. Under current Texas Education Agency guidelines, districts will be required to offer on-campus classes or lose state funding. Districts are being blackmailed by the state the loss of funding into reopening before it is safe for students and school employees to do so. Related: Coalition of San Antonio parents, teachers advocate for remote learning for first 9 weeks of school

SAN ANTONIO The Texas State Teachers Association is urging state officials to slow down the reopening of campuses, as back to school season is just around the corner. With districts considering a wide array of options for the upcoming school year, the Texas State Teachers Association President Noel Candelaria says schools must reopen with caution to prevent another spike in COVID-19 cases. At the end of June, local school districts were still locking down calendars for the 2020-21 school year. Candelaria has said no school campuses should reopen until the pandemic begins to subside. Some local school districts will have variations of intersessions and virtual learning.

AUSTIN, Texas Texas State Teachers Association President Noel Candelaria announced Tuesday that the state needs to mandate that students and teachers wear masks on school campuses this fall. Greg Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath are refusing to order school districts to mandate mask requirements. In their haste to reopen schools in the midst of a deadly pandemic, Gov. The Texas Education Agency has prepared a list of guidelines, many of them good, for school reopenings, but safety remains first and foremost for educators and students, Candelaria said. The governor needs to be a leader and take the initiative on this critical health and safety issue.Related: Draft documents show Texas planning few mandatory safety measures when public schools reopen in fall

Greg Abbott announced Friday that public and private school classrooms will remain closed for the remainder of the school year to avoid quickening the spread of COVID-19. The Texas State Teachers Association applauded a decision that "removes uncertainty for hundreds of Texas communities and, health experts say, will help slow the spread of the coronavirus ... TSTA President Noel Candelaria also urged the state to continue fully funding school districts and require them to keep paying hourly workers such as custodians and food service workers. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath will provide school districts more details soon, Abbott said. Disclosure: The Texas State Teachers Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.