New Texas Senate plan takes teacher pay raises out of basic allotment formula
The Brief
Senate Education Committee took up school funding on Thursday, May 15
Senate legislation much different from original House Bill 2
Total amount in funding remains at nearly $8 billion
AUSTIN, Texas - State lawmakers are in a race with the clock to pass an education funding plan before the regular session ends on June 2.
Members of the Senate Education Committee started taking up legislation much different from the bill that moved out of the state House a month ago.
What we know
The original plan for House Bill 2 was called the "Texas Two-Step" with the understanding that education funding would move through the legislature in tandem with Governor Greg Abbott's school choice plan.
Members came in with a lot of questions after the 225-page re-write of HB 2 was posted Wednesday night. The total amount in funding remains at nearly $8 billion.
The Senate version takes a different approach to how that money is to be spent by local school districts. It rolls in other bills that have increases for special education programs, school safety, and the Teacher's Bill of Rights.
Dig deeper
One of the most notable changes involves teacher pay raises and how the money will be distributed.
There is an emphasis on helping rural teachers and all the money will come out of a newly created permanent fund that is separate from the basic allotment sent to school districts.
That change has raised questions since the House version of HB 2 increases the allotment by nearly $400 per student, while the Senate plan is at $55.
The gap, the committee was told is because teacher pay and some other priority initiatives are earmarked by the state and that the $55 adds up to $800 million for local school boards to focus on support staff.
What they're saying
"So we're shifting billions of dollars permanently off of the basic allotted pressures and then the remaining Basic Allotment plus more money districts can use fully flexible," said Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe).
There were tough questions about charter schools.
Committee members Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) and Se. Royce West (D-Dallas) noted how charter school teachers will be eligible for the pay raise, but charter schools will still operate under different rules than those for public schools.
Sen. Creighton, who filed the new HB 2, noted there are policy inequities that should be addressed, but noted charter school reform will have to come later.
In public testimony there were calls to increase funding levels for Pre-K and for Fine Arts programs.
What's next
The bill was left pending Thursday night after hours of public testimony.
The Senate funding plan was described as a work in progress and it's unclear when the legislation will be sent to the full Senate.
Eventually, it will have to go back to the Texas House.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's chief political reporter Rudy Koski.
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