Pay the Classroom First: HB 1074 Caps School Bosses at 5x a New Teacher

The teacher in the classroom is the reason the school exists. The superintendent in the front office is paid to serve that classroom. A new bill in Austin says the man at the top cannot make more than five times the newest teacher in the building.

Plain English summary

On November 10, 2026, State Rep. Mizani filed House Bill 1074. (FACT, HB 1074 bill history)

It adds Section 11.203 to the Education Code. A school district could not pay a school administrator more in a school year than five times the district's entry-level teacher salary for that same year. (FACT, HB 1074 introduced text, new Sec. 11.203(b))

"Entry-level teacher salary" means the lowest base pay the district offers a full-time classroom teacher with no years of service. Stipends and bonuses do not count toward that number. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(a)(1))

"School administrator" is wide. Superintendents, deputy and assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, and anyone whose main job is running a district's operations, people, or budget. Interim and contract administrators count too. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(a)(2))

If it passes, it takes effect September 1, 2027. (FACT, HB 1074 Section 4)

Why it matters

Here is the simple math. It is an example, not a real district.

If a district starts new teachers at $50,000, the ceiling for any administrator is $250,000.

Want the superintendent to make more? Raise starting teacher pay. That is the only way to raise the ceiling.

That ties the top of the org chart to the bottom of the pay scale. You cannot grow one without growing the other.

And the bill closes the side doors. Compensation under the cap includes base salary, bonuses, stipends, allowances, incentive and retention payments, deferred compensation, severance, and the fair market value of personal benefits. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(c))

Real expense reimbursement does not count. Group insurance and retirement on the same terms as other employees does not count. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(c))

The receipt

Here is what else is in the text.

A district must post its entry-level teacher salary and the resulting cap on its website. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(d))

A district cannot pay a new teacher less than the number it used to set the cap. No lowballing on paper to game the math. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(d))

A district that gets administrator services through a third party has to make that party disclose the pay and follow the cap. A district may not divide, reclassify, or route pay through someone else to dodge the limit. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(e))

Each district certifies compliance every year. The Commissioner of Education can order a district to stop a prohibited payment or recover an excess payment, after notice and a chance to respond. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(f))

No waivers. Not even for a District of Innovation under Chapter 12A. (FACT, Sec. 11.203(g))

Current contracts stay under the old law until they expire, renew, or get amended to change pay. (FACT, HB 1074 Section 3)

This is not the first try. In 2025, HB 2562 by Rep. Isaac proposed a superintendent salary limit and was referred to the House Public Education committee, where its last recorded action sits. (FACT, HB 2562 (89R) history) In the first special session that summer, Sen. Adam Hinojosa filed SB 68, which tied superintendent pay to teacher pay and the district's A to F rating. (FACT, SB 68 (89th, 1st C.S.) text)

What Ryan says

RYAN STATEMENT: I like this bill because it does not scream. It does math.

RYAN STATEMENT: Every year East Texas families get the tax bill. Every year we hear there is no money for teachers. Then the front office contract gets approved on a consent agenda. Show me the evidence that the money is going where the kids are.

RYAN STATEMENT: Five times the starting teacher is not poverty. It is a good living. If a district wants to pay its leaders more, fine. Pay the rookie teacher more first. Same rule for the top and the bottom.

RYAN STATEMENT: I want the anti-dodge language kept in. Severance, retention bonuses, deferred pay, consultant contracts. That is where the real money hides. Close the side doors or the cap means nothing.

RYAN STATEMENT: Local control matters to me. But local control is not a blank check. A school board spends your money. A posted number on a website is the least we can ask.

What this does not prove

This does not prove any East Texas superintendent is overpaid. This article names no district and no person.

It does not prove the bill will get a hearing, a vote, or a signature. It was filed. That is all.

It does not prove a cap will raise teacher pay. Districts could respond in other ways, and the bill text does not answer that.

The $50,000 figure above is an example for math only. It is not any district's real starting salary.

What it does prove

It proves a bill is on file, in black and white, that ties every administrator's total pay to the starting teacher's base pay.

It proves the bill counts bonuses, severance, deferred pay, and perks, and bans routing pay through a third party.

It proves this fight did not start this year. Two prior bills tried and stalled.

The bottom line

Pay the classroom first. Then pay the front office.

Post the number. Follow the math.

The record is three pages long. Read it yourself.

Do not threaten anyone. Do not harass anyone. Do not contact anyone in my name. Read it. Share it. Send receipts, evidence, witnesses. Put eyes on the record.