Leaders from the Texas House and Senate have agreed on an $8 billion school funding package, which is being called the largest in state history, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The latest version of House Bill 2 was unveiled at a Senate hearing Thursday. It would give the state major discretion in deciding how the funds are spent, from teacher pay raises to special education to school safety.
House Democrats reportedly are unhappy with major changes to the original bill, first passed in mid-April. That version gave local schools more discretion on how to spend state dollars. The new version cuts the proposed per-student funding increase from $395 to $55 but also includes $7.2 billion in new funding, with more than half of that dedicated to teacher pay raises.
