Lawmakers agree on $8B school funding package with teacher raises

AUSTIN – The Houston Chronicle reports that after weeks of negotiations, leaders from the Texas House and Senate have agreed on an $8 billion school funding package that they say will be the largest cash infusion into public schools in the state’s history. The exact policy language of the bill was not yet available. But according to a summary document distributed to lawmakers and a description of the deal posted on social media by the author, it would set aside $4.2 billion for teacher pay raises, $1.3 billion for special education, $677 million for reforms to reading and math instruction for students before third grade, $500 million for school safety, $300 million for small and rural school districts and more. The bill is expected to be filed soon and will be up for a public hearing at 9 a.m. Thursday. On Wednesday, the state’s “Big Three” Republican leaders— Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows — endorsed the proposal.

“Obviously, like any school finance bill, you’ve got to see the runs,” said Burrows, R-Lubbock, referring to modeling that shows exactly how much each school district stands to gain. “But we are very optimistic and very excited.” Patrick described the bill as a “masterpiece for school finance,” while Abbott said he appreciated the large boost to teacher pay, which was a priority of his this session. “This is the best thing we can do for the most important part of education, and that’s providing teachers with the pay raise they need and deserve,” Abbott said. The bill would provide permanent raises for all teachers with more than three years of experience. For those with more than five years, teachers from districts with less than 5,000 students would receive $10,000 bumps compared to $5,500 for those from larger districts. Other provisions affecting teachers include free Pre-K for their children and an expansion of the state’s merit-based teacher pay system. Also, in response to rising rates of uncertified teachers that have troubled lawmakers, Texas would begin investing directly in teacher preparation and certification.