Education
BY HANNAH NORTON
Texas schools to see $8.4B funding boost
Zooming in
said in May, noting that lawmakers previously gave educators one-time “bonuses.” HB 2 also includes a $55 increase to the base amount of per-student funding schools receive from the state. Districts can use these funds, known as the basic allotment, for a variety of needs, including purchasing classroom materials, renovating facilities and paying teachers or sta. Some school leaders requested a roughly $1,300 basic allotment increase to help schools keep up with inationary costs. “When we’ve raised the basic allotment only, … we haven’t seen those dollars always driven to the classroom,” Creighton said July 21. “We made sure with our new allotments that we achieve targeted strategies towards what will increase student out- comes and academics, and what will also reward and protect our teachers.”
Sen. Brandon Creighton, RConroe, who spon- sored HB 2 in the Senate, told Community Impact July 21 that lawmakers changed “the budget architecture for how public schools are funded going forward.” HB 2 provides permanent raises for teachers with at least three years of classroom experience, with larger raises for teachers in small districts. In districts with 5,000 students or less, teachers with three to four years of experience will receive a $4,000 raise , while those with at least ve years of experience will receive an $8,000 boost . In districts with over 5,000 students, educators with three to four years of experience will get a $2,500 raise , and more experienced teachers will earn a $5,000 raise . “For the rst time in Texas history, that pay raise will continue beyond this biennium,” Creighton
Over the next two years, Texas’ nearly 9,000 public schools will receive about $8.4 billion in new funding after Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2 in June. Nearly half of that funding will be spent on raises for educators and support staff, such as bus drivers, janitors and librarians. State lawmakers estimated in May that schools will receive “north of $17,700” per student under the school funding package—up from about $15,502 in the 2022-23 school year, according to Texas Education Agency data. The funding increase comes as some school Texas districts across Community Impact’s coverage areas grapple with growing budget shortfalls, leading some districts to consider closing campuses, cutting staff and slashing elective courses. Over a dozen school associations and advocacy groups praised lawmakers’ work on HB 2 after it was sent to the governor in late May, noting that the legislation would provide a “lifeline” to cash-strapped schools.
The breakdown
HB 2 gives schools approximately:
$3.7B for teacher pay raises
$430M for school safety
$1.3B for xed costs, such as transportation and insurance $850M for special education resources and evaluations
$243M for state-owned instructional materials $200M for teacher preparation and certication
“Texas is No. 1 in so many categories. Texas should be No. 1 in educating our children.” GOV. GREG ABBOTT
$500M for raises for support stu, including bus drivers and librarians
$153M for career and technical education
The bill also includes a $55 increase to the base per- student funding schools receive, known as the basic allotment.
$433M for early literacy and numeracy
SOURCES: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE, RAISE YOUR HAND TEXASCOMMUNITY IMPACT
One more thing
Texas’ school funding system
create these guardrails around this money,” Rombado told Community Impact on July 18. He said a larger basic allotment increase would have given Texas public schools “the most exible funding” because that money can be used for a variety of purposes. “Having the autonomy to pivot and invest money that [districts] have been given allows them to adapt to changing times a little more eciently,” Rombado said.
Max Rombado, the legislative director for the public school advocacy organization Raise Your Hand Texas, said creating targeted funding allotments can be complicated in a state as large and diverse as Texas. “While the impact may generally be positive, there are a variety of complexities and dierences between school districts that might create challenges when you
Federal funding: $2,688
State funding: $5,021 Local property tax revenue: $7,793
The average school district received about $15,502 in the 2022-23 school year.
SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, RAISE YOUR HAND TEXASCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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