AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Lawmakers in the Texas House gave their initial approval Wednesday to one of two priority pieces of legislation affecting the state's public schools - a nearly $8 billion investment in education.
House Bill 2 passed Wednesday afternoon in a 144-4 initial vote.
“House Bill 2 lays the foundation for a modernized, responsive school finance system that will grow with the needs of Texas students while targeting taxpayer dollars where they’ll make the greatest impact for students and teachers," said House Speaker Dustin Burrows in a statement.
The bill, assuming it is signed into law, would increase the base allotment provided to school districts for each student, along with raises to teacher salaries and special education funding. It's the first effort to raise the per-student allotment since 2019.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised the bill's passage in a statement. “The Texas House took a monumental step to increase education funding and teacher pay raises that puts Texas on the path to education excellence for our students,” Abbott said. “Since I have been Governor, public education funding and average teacher pay have reached all-time highs and, now, House Bill 2 will add $7.7 billion more to fund a high-quality education for the next generation of Texas leaders."
The HB 2 vote came after about three hours of debate; lawmakers need to pass it one more time before it will head to the Senate.
Lawmakers are also debating the House's version of Senate Bill 2, which would spend up to $1 billion on creating education savings accounts - which would enable Texas families to use tax dollars to fund private school education for children.