Many Texas public school teachers are struggling financially. Recent data shows their annual salaries are nearly $8,000 less than the national average.

All year long, Texas teachers have been hoping the Texas Legislature would pass measures to increase teacher pay. And during the current special legislative session, the state’s fourth this year, lawmakers filed a proposal that would have given them those sought-after raises.

But that measure passed in the Texas House earlier this month after a coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats took out a provision that would have created education savings accounts. That voucher-like program would have given families public funds to use towards private school tuition and other education expenses.

The Texas Newsroom talks to teachers from across the state who say losing that salary bump is worth it if it keeps school vouchers at bay.

While many teachers have received cost-of-living adjustments that have translated to about an extra hundred dollars per paycheck, some still feel like they need to take a second — or even third — job to make ends meet.

Raven Morris, Princeton ISD

From Monday through Friday, Raven Morris teaches reading language arts at Princeton Independent School District outside of Plano.

But