Critics say a House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year. It would also invest $750 million in teacher pay and $450 million in teacher training.
The bill by Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, would increase the amount of allotment used to raise salaries for non-administrative staff from the current 30% to 40%. Some testifying against the bill said the proposed raises for teachers is inadequate.
“The pay teachers receive demonstrates the level of respect afforded to our children,” said Megan Holden, a 10th-grade English teacher at an Austin- area high school. “They are getting the message that Texas doesn’t value them or their future.”
