Lawmakers looking to offer a pay raise to teachers.
Another plan ties $7.1B for schools to property tax changes
AUSTIN — State lawmakers keen on sending more money to schools have forwarded competing budget proposals: One offers every teacher in Texas a $5,000 raise and an overall $4.3 billion increase in funding; the other offers a gigantic $7.1 billion influx of dollars to schools, on the condition that lawmakers also take action to slow the escalation of property taxes.
The two proposals represent starkly different starting points for this year’s budget negotiations.
“It’s a big gap,” said Rep. Alma Allen, D-Houston, a longtime member of the House Education Committee. “We’re going to have to see what comes out.”
“The devil’s in the details,” said Clay Robison, a spokesman with the Texas State Teachers Association of the prospect of permanent teacher raises. “But so far, it’s a good start and we hope that the leadership continues to work with us throughout the process and keeps the needs of educators and school children in mind.”
The Texas House proposes pouring $7.1 billion more dollars into public schools over two years that could be spent however lawmakers deem fit, according to budget documents released late Monday. That represents a 17.2-
percent jump in funding. Another $1.9 billion would be set aside for property tax reform and to reduce recapture funding that shifts money from property-wealthy districts to property-poor districts.
The proposal from the Texas Senate is more specific. The Senate wants to send $3.7 billion to schools for a $5,000 pay raise for each of the state’s 350,000 fulltime classroom teachers, regardless of what they make now. The Senate also plans to spend $2.3 billion to reduce the state’s reliance on recapture funding.
Passing a budget is the only task lawmakers are required to complete during their 140-day legislative session that began last week.
A boost in teacher pay would begin bridging the pay gap between Texas teachers and their peers across the country. The average salary for a Texas teacher is $53,167. The national average is $60,483, according to an estimate from the National Education Association, which examined teacher pay during the 2017-18 school year.
“If it is indeed a permanent, across-the-board $5,000 annual pay increase for Texas teachers, we think it is a very good start toward closing the $7,300 gap that teachers are paid compared to the national average,” said Robison.
The House budget was filed on behalf of newly-elected Speaker Dennis Bonnen. The Senate released its version under the direction of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
“We have to put our teachers first,” Patrick said in his inauguration speech Tuesday. “It’s been 20 years since they’ve had an acrossthe-board raise.”
It is unclear how much of a role retired Speaker Joe Straus played in crafting the House budget. He said last month Texas could add $5 billion into school funding and pledged to draft his own budget. The proposal from the House chamber suggests the state can spend even more money.
Lawmakers are likely to spar over school finance and property taxes through May while they figure out how to change how Texas funds schools and reform property taxes amid voter outcry. Both are complicated issues woven closely together, as property tax revenue is the No. 1 source of funding for Texas schools.
The budget proposals received mixed reviews. While the House budget proposal is a “great start,” several key priorities for kids are missing from the spending plan — like an additional $71 million for therapy for young children with disabilities like autism and speech delays, said Stephanie Rubin, CEO of Texans Care for Children. Eighteen programs providing those services closed due to a shortage of state funding.
“The budget is the most important bill of the legislative session,” she said.
“The budget decisions that state leaders make over the next few months will demonstrate their values, their compassion for kids, and their commitment to a strong future for Texas.”