Latest news with #TexasTwo-Step
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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.
Business Wire
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Nachawati Law Group Files New Ovarian Cancer Lawsuits Against Johnson & Johnson After Latest Bankruptcy Ploy Fails
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following a third failed bankruptcy maneuver by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), trial lawyers with Dallas-based Nachawati Law Group have filed three new lawsuits on behalf of women who developed cancer after prolonged use of the company's talc-based products. The filings come as courts across the country prepare to restart proceedings in one of the largest mass torts in U.S. history after a federal bankruptcy judge dismissed J&J's third attempt to shield itself from litigation through a controversial bankruptcy ploy. More than 50,000 women allege they developed ovarian cancer or other gynecological cancers from long-term use of Johnson's Baby Powder and other products. 'Our recent talc ovarian cancer filings in DC and Florida are direct messages to Johnson & Johnson and the sellers of talc-based products, of our willingness and eagerness to resume the fight on behalf of our clients against the corporate malfeasances that have harmed our clients and resulted in their tragic cancer diagnoses,' said trial lawyer Charlie Stern. 'After waiting many years to resume this fight as the sham J&J bankruptcies worked their way through the courts and were eventually all dismissed, we anticipate filing more cases like these in states around the country to hold these bad actors accountable for their decades worth of nefarious activities.' J&J's proposed settlement, which was part of its third attempt to use the so-called 'Texas Two-Step' legal maneuver, was rejected by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, who cited problems with the claimants' voting process and found the plan improperly sought to extend legal protections to non-debtor entities, shielding them from future liability without the consent of all affected plaintiffs. 'For far too long, Johnson & Johnson has used the bankruptcy system as a tool to delay and deny justice,' said firm founder Majed Nachawati. 'The courthouse doors are open again, and we are walking through them. Our clients have a constitutional right to be heard, and we intend to make sure that happens.' Nachawati Law Group represents thousands of women nationwide who developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson's Baby Powder and other talc-based products that internal company documents have shown may be contaminated with asbestos. The firm has consistently fought for accountability, both in court and in good-faith discussions to resolve claims. About Nachawati Law Group Nachawati Law Group represents individuals in mass tort litigation, businesses and governmental entities in contingent litigation and individual victims in complex personal injury litigation. For more information, visit
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Clock is ticking for Texas lawmakers to settle differences on $8 billion public school funding package
Lawmakers called it the 'Texas Two-Step,' promising that passage of a private school voucher bill and a multibillion-dollar public school funding proposal would happen in tandem. But with less than three weeks before the end of the 2025 legislative session, additional funding for cash-strapped public schools is dancing alone. The Texas House and Senate moved swiftly to establish a voucher program but have stumbled over details on how to fund public education. Leaders in both chambers have insisted there is no cause for concern, saying they are working diligently to ensure that Texas' 5.5 million public schoolchildren have what they need to succeed in the classroom. The next major step in that direction is expected to happen Thursday, when the Senate education committee plans to hold a public hearing on its version of House Bill 2, a roughly $8 billion proposal seeking to tie teacher salary increases to years of experience, reduce Texas' reliance on untrained teachers and overhaul the state's special education funding model. [Pressing deadlines, unfinished business: Where the Legislature stands on abortion, water, property tax and more] If the committee approves the proposal, the bill would then travel to the full Senate for further consideration. Passage in the Senate would formally open the door for the chamber to hammer out any disagreements with the House before sending the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott, though lawmakers say those discussions have already started. 'I believe that there's an agreement that will get moving,' Rep. Brad Buckley, the Salado Republican who chairs the House Public Education Committee, told The Texas Tribune earlier this month. Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe, the Republican who leads the Senate education committee, said in a recent statement that lawmakers are making 'meaningful progress on reconciling differences.' The House passed its own school funding proposal last month. That came months after the Senate began approving a slate of major public education finance bills — the most notable being a $4.3 billion measure focused on teacher pay that passed the chamber in February. The Senate education committee's hearing on its version of HB 2 comes three weeks after the panel received the House's funding proposal. House Democrats and public education advocates have slammed Senate Republicans over HB 2's lack of movement. Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, distributed a memo to his colleagues this week characterizing the funding package as 'languishing' in the Senate 'without so much as a committee hearing.' Teacher advocacy organizations have agreed. 'I can't stress this enough: Texas public schools are facing an existential crisis, and we need lawmakers to move with a real sense of urgency,' Zeph Capo, president of the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement earlier this month. 'If lawmakers fail to deliver, we are heading into territory that I'm not sure our schools can come back from.' [Texas officials' claim that school funding is at an all-time high ignores inflation and temporary federal money] School officials have called attention to the hard choices districts all over Texas have had to make — from adopting budget deficits to closing schools — as evidence that the state is not investing enough in public education. Creighton has urged critics to be patient, calling the negotiations 'an unprecedented opportunity that deserves thoughtful, strategic consideration — not rushed decisions or halfway measures.' Though lawmakers are navigating imminent end-of-session deadlines for other bills, HB 2 has until May 28 to make it through the Senate, the last day for the chamber to consider all bills. From there, five members from each of the chambers, led by Buckley and Creighton, will likely work to hash out their remaining differences in a closed-door conference committee. Whatever bill emerges from those negotiations would need a final vote in each full chamber before heading to the governor's desk. The legislative session ends June 2. At the top of the Legislature's to-do list is figuring out whether Texas will boost schools' base, per-student funding for the first time since 2019 and coming to terms on how the state will address teacher salaries, which rank 31st in the nation, according to a recent report from the National Education Association. Here's a breakdown of the work ahead. Legislators will need to sort out whether to provide public schools with an increase to their base funding for each student and, if so, by how much. The House has proposed raising the funding, known as the basic allotment, from $6,160 to $6,555 per student. That $395 boost falls well short of the roughly $1,300 increase districts say they need to address inflationary pressures that have only intensified since the Legislature last raised the allotment in 2019. The Senate, on the other hand, has opposed increasing schools' base funding this session by any significant amount. The chamber's education committee announced earlier this week that it would propose doing so by a modest $55 per student. Republican senators would instead prefer to make targeted investments to ensure state funding reaches areas with the most needs, like special education and teacher pay. Creighton, the Senate education chair, has said direct state investment in those areas would free up districts to use their base funding elsewhere. How schools currently use their base dollars varies by district, but the bulk of the money flows toward salaries for full-time employees. Districts also use the funds to pay for essential services and goods, like utilities and insurance. Leftover dollars may cover other necessities, like school supplies and building maintenance. School districts' advocacy has focused on raising the allotment because it offers them the most flexibility to address the unique needs of their campuses, as opposed to money they can only use for specific purposes determined by the Legislature. Capo, the teacher union leader, has called for an all-of-the-above approach that 'marries the best qualities of both the House and Senate approaches,' including raising districts' base funding and directing some money specifically toward teacher raises. 'We agree with Chairman Creighton that a dedicated allotment for teacher pay, stronger pathways to educator certification, and early intervention and support for students struggling academically are all great ideas,' Capo said. 'The question shouldn't be 'teacher pay or basic allotment increase?' but rather, 'what do we need to fully support and stabilize public schools?'' The House and Senate must also determine how the state will address teacher salaries. In place of a significant increase to the basic allotment — which would largely help districts raise teacher pay — senators want to provide educators more money through the following system: Educators with 3-4 years of experience in school districts with 5,000 or fewer students would receive a $5,000 raise, while those with five or more years of teaching on their resume would earn $10,000. Educators with 3-4 of experience in school districts with more than 5,000 students would earn a $2,500 raise, while those with five or more years of experience would receive $5,500. The House wants to direct 40% of schools' base funding toward across-the-board raises for school staff, excluding administrators. Teachers with a decade or more of experience would receive the highest raises. [Lawmakers want to expand Texas' teacher pay raise program. Many educators will still be left out.] Lawmakers in both chambers are mostly aligned in their desire to expand the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a state program that offers pay raises to educators who demonstrate that they have improved their students' academic outcomes. Only about 6% of Texas teachers currently receive raises through the performance initiative. The chambers differ, however, in whether educators with a national teaching certification should continue to automatically qualify for raises under the incentive program. The House wants to keep them in while the Senate does not, citing a desire to ensure raises are awarded based on school districts' standards and not those set nationally. A Republican State Board of Education member, Julie Pickren, recently criticized the national certification training for prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Teachers go through a rigorous four-part process to attain their national certification. Some among the less than 1% of Texas educators who earned the certification have credited it with greatly enhancing their work in the classroom. Both chambers want to curb Texas' heavy reliance on uncertified teachers and to offer larger stipends to teachers who enter the highest quality training programs. But they still have to agree on the details of those incentives. The House recently scrapped a provision in its school funding proposal that would have offered money to teachers who enter educator preparation programs. The Senate's school funding proposal includes a plan to pay aspiring teachers for their training. Lawmakers will also need to finalize details on their proposed overhaul of Texas' special education funding model. Both chambers want to move away from the current system — which directs funding to schools based on how much time a student with a disability spends in a particular classroom setting — and replace it with a system that accounts for the individual needs of each child. However, the chambers' differences include how much money should go toward the changes, as well as the timeline to implement the new funding model. The House and Senate are also working through their differences on school safety funding, notably how much districts will receive for each student and how much each campus will get to pay for required safety upgrades following the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
CBS News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Texas families, advocates urge action on public school funding bill after school voucher bill signed into law
Families, educators, and advocates are pushing Texas lawmakers to pass public school funding bills now that the school voucher program has become a reality. Gov. Greg Abbott officially signed the controversial $1 billion school choice bill into law on Saturday. The program uses taxpayer funds to help qualifying students pay for private school tuition. "We saw a lot of talk at the beginning of this session about what the governor was calling the Texas Two-Step, which was we're going to pass the voucher bill, and then we're going to pass a large public school funding bill," said Jill Hill, a Coppell mom and member of Communities United for Public Education. "And so, the voucher bill has passed, and now this one is languishing." Communities United for Public Education is a nonpartisan, nonfunded group in Coppell dedicated to raising awareness about school funding. It's been five years since state lawmakers increased the per-student funding for public schools. Given the historic levels of inflation since then, districts are having to make do with less. "We've just had to close a campus in our district," said Carla Behlen, another member of Communities United for Public Education. "We're running a deficit budget currently. So we know the situation is really dire and that during this session, it just was absolutely vital that we get some additional funding passed for public education." With just a few weeks left in this session, they're calling on state lawmakers to take action. "We're down to the wire here," Hill said. "If things don't get put on the calendar within the next couple of weeks, they're going to be essentially considered dead for this session. And we can't let that happen for our funding bill." House Bill 2, which would invest $7.7 billion in public education, passed the house with overwhelming bipartisan support back in mid-April. The Senate has yet to put it on the calendar for the Senate education committee to review. "And if it doesn't come to fruition, then that's going to be a big promise that's been broken to our Texas citizens," said Hill. Communities United for Public Education is encouraging people to call their state senators and ask them to schedule HB2 for a discussion and vote before the session ends on June 2nd. "I think that the numbers game is really important here," Hill said. "The more people that speak out, the harder it is to ignore. HB 2 would increase the basic per-student funding allotment from $6,160 to $6,555. It would also provide raises for experienced teachers and improve special education funding.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Abbott to sign Texas school choice bill into law
Editor's Note: The above video is KXAN's previous coverage of Senate Bill 2 when it passed in the Texas Senate. AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will sign Senate Bill 2, the education savings account (ESA) program, into law on Saturday afternoon, creating the nation's largest day-one school choice program. After previous failed attempts, alleged threats against Republican House members, and a call from President Donald Trump, Abbott will finally get one of his top priorities across the finish line. Data shows how far school choice funds will go with private special education programs in Texas The governor will be joined alongside the authors of the bill, State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, as well as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. A school choice advocate and private school director are also listed to make comments at the signing. Watch the signing in the video player above at 2 p.m. CT Saturday. The ESA program will allow approved applicants to use public dollars to help cover the costs of sending their children to a private school. Parents would be able to use money to pay for things like tuition, school supplies, uniforms, travel, etc. The program is allocated for $1 billion in its first year, but the bill language states that cap will be removed after the first year of implementation. Lawmakers could set the same cap in the next legislative session when they write the budget, or can even increase or decrease the program amount. Each child accepted into the program will receive 85% of the statewide average of local and state dollars that each student receives in public schools. Right now, that is a little over $10,000 per year. Special education students are able to receive the same amount of money they would receive if they attend public school, with a cap at $30,000. Home-schooled students are eligible to receive up to $2,000 per year. Since there is a cap, only so many students will be able to take advantage of the program. The bill does prioritize applicants based on educational needs and family income. Here's how it is broken down: Priority Level Eligibility 1 Children with a disability in a household with income at or below 500% of the federal poverty line 2 Children in a household with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty line 3 Children in a household with income that is above 200% and below 500% of the federal poverty line 4 Everyone else If the comptroller, the agency tasked with operating the program, receives more applicants than available spots, it will use a lottery system to fill out the program. A child whose sibling is in the program would automatically be placed in the program as well. The Texas House passed both school choice and public school finance legislation at the same time. Speaker Burrows called the initiative the 'Texas Two-Step.' House Democrats fought against the ESA program arguing it would cause public schools to lose out on state dollars, since that money is determined by attendance. Democrats argued they wanted to use the $1 billion set aside for school choice to be used toward increasing public school financing. House Bill 2, the public school finance bill, increased public school funding by roughly $7.7 billion. Democrats said the school finance bill does not go far enough in increasing the basic allotment, which is a portion of the total school funding a school district receives per student. The last time it was increased was in 2019 when the legislature bumped it up to $6,160. The latest school finance bill would increase the basic allotment by $340, but Democrats argue the basic allotment needs to increase by about $1,400 in order for schools to catch up with inflation. But unlike school choice legislation, the school finance bill has not been fully approved by both chambers. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Education K-16, but does not have a hearing date set. The bill was passed on the same night as school choice, April 17. This past week, State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, voiced his concerns with the Senate not scheduling a hearing for school finance. In a line of parliamentary questioning to the Speaker, Wu asked, 'Is the Senate aware that if HB 2 does not pass that our school system may completely collapse?' 'Mr. Wu, the Chair is not advised,' Burrows responded. 'I think it's very concerning that the governor forced his private school voucher bill through the House and is now stalling on funding for our public schools,' State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, said. 'This was supposed to be the Texas two-step, but right now I'm just seeing one step, and that's defunding our neighborhood public schools across the state.' The last day for the Texas Senate to consider all bills on second and third reading is May 28, according to the Legislature's Deadline Action calendar. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
