Texas House greenlights bill that would send $7.7B to public schools

After about four hours of debate April 16, Texas House lawmakers initially approved a bill that would raise funding for public education by $7.7 billion.

House Bill 2 would increase base school funding—known as the basic allotment—by $395; overhaul how the state funds special education; and give school districts money for educator certification. The proposal would also direct schools to raise salaries for teachers and other staff.

“This is more money for Texas public education than any other piece of legislation in the history of the state,” bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said on the House floor April 16. “Every district gains substantial resources going forward as a result of this bill.”

HB 2 initially passed in a 144-4 vote, with four House Republicans voting against the proposal. The House must vote on the school finance bill one more time before it can be sent to the Senate.

State senators have passed multiple school funding proposals this legislative session, including a bill that would increase salaries for teachers with at least three years of experience. Bills must be approved by both legislative chambers before they can become law.

The overview

HB 2 would raise the base amount of money schools receive per student, known as the basic allotment, from $6,160 to $6,555. Under the bill, the basic allotment would be automatically increased every two years, based on property value growth.

During debate on the bill April 16, some House Democrats said they were concerned HB 2 would not do enough for public schools. Raise Your Hand Texas, a public school advocacy organization, has estimated Texas would need to increase the basic allotment to at least $7,500 to keep pace with recent inflation.

“I would vote for a $1 increase for our public schools, and so I do want to acknowledge that this is a good step forward,” Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, said April 16. “But ... I don't want to over-promise the people of Texas what this bill would do.”

Talarico repeatedly asked Buckley if HB 2 would bring school districts to 2019 funding levels. State lawmakers last adjusted the basic allotment in 2019, raising it from $5,140 to $6,160.

“The inflationary environment that our districts have had ... created tremendous gaps and loss of money,” Buckley said. “I believe that this is a bipartisan effort to close the gap.”

Zooming in

The bill would expand the portion of the basic allotment that schools must spend on teacher salaries. Current state law stipulates at least 30% of any increase to the basic allotment be used to raise salaries for nonadministrative staff, such as teachers, nurses and counselors. HB 2 would expand that to 40%—at odds with the Senate’s teacher pay plan, Senate Bill 26, which proposes eliminating the restriction.

Buckley’s bill would also increase funding for the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program designed to put teachers on the path to a six-figure salary.

Under HB 2, Buckley said teachers would see raises “anywhere from about $3,500-$7,000, but it could be more from district to district.” The bill would require districts to prioritize salary increases for teachers with five or more years of classroom experience.

“One of the things that we have done in Texas is ... we have changed the starting salary, but we've not invested in our more experienced teachers,” Buckley said.