House Proposes $7.5 Billion in New School Funding

Critics say a House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year. It would also invest $750 million in teacher pay and $450 million in teacher training.

The bill by Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, would increase the amount of allotment used to raise salaries for non-administrative staff from the current 30% to 40%. Some testifying against the bill said the proposed raises for teachers is inadequate.

“The pay teachers receive demonstrates the level of respect afforded to our children,” said Megan Holden, a 10th-grade English teacher at an Austinarea high school. “They are getting the message that Texas doesn’t value them or their future.”

The basic allotment would need to increase by $1,300 to keep up with inflation since 2019, according to The News. That’s the last time the allotment was increased.

The Texas Senate has already passed its version of a public education bill: a measure that would give $10,000 raises to teachers with at least five years working in districts with fewer than 5,000 students, with teachers in larger districts getting $5,500 raises.

The average teacher in Texas made $62,500 last year, according to the Texas Education Agency, up from $54,000 in 2019. According to the federal Consumer Price Index, cumulative inflation over that period is about 20%, meaning teacher salaries have not quite kept up with inflation.

State Workers Must Return in Person to Offices 

Gov. Greg Abbott has directed heads of state agencies to phase out remote work “as soon as practicable,” the Texas Standard reported. That follows a similar mandate for federal workers issued by President Trump last week. “Texans expect their public servants to be present and engaged in the work on their behalf,” Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary, said in a statement. “With remote federal workers returning to the office where possible, it’s important that state agencies ensure they do the same.”

No written policy has been given to department heads, but they were directed to transition to in-person work “as soon as practicable.”