Many Texas school employees would get a $15,000 bonus under a longshot proposal unveiled by House Democrats Thursday morning.
The plan comes amid a contentious special session in which funding for both public campuses and private school choice hangs in the balance.
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“We have this bill today because it is the opposite of a voucher scam,” said Democratic Rep. Gene Wu of Houston. “We need the money that’s in this bill because that is the future of Texas.”
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The House Democrats’ plan aims to provide more money for special education, school safety and mental health needs. Support staff in schools would get also get a bonus, albeit a smaller one.
The bill would give a dramatic boost to the per-student state funding formula for districts. In future years, under the proposal, that base allotment would be adjusted for inflation.
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This plan comes as school leaders continue sounding the alarm that the current per-student allotment – $6,160, as set in 2019 – fails to cover soaring costs. If the House’s proposal passed, it could raise that figure by more than $2,700.
However, the Democratic bill faces an uphill battle in the GOP-controlled Legislature. A plan to give a huge bump to teacher pay died during the regular session.
“It’s time to stop paying just lip service to support our Texas teachers and start paying them their actual worth,” Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, said.
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Gov. Greg Abbott has indicated recently that any bill related to additional public school funding is tied to whether lawmakers pass a plan that would allow public funds for private school tuition. He’s threatened to call them back to Austin for a fourth special session if they don’t send an education savings account bill to his desk.
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“I want to make sure that we provide a carrot to make sure this legislation gets passed,” the Republican governor said last week. “Once ESAs are passed, I will put on the legislative call the full funding for public education, including teacher pay raises for teachers across the state.”
A coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats in the House have historically quashed all voucherlike bills, based on their fears such a program would funnel state money out of the public campuses that serve the vast majority of Texas children.
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Senate Republicans have already advanced two priority bills during this special session.
One would create education savings accounts that would give families $8,000 of public funds to use on private school tuition. The second would provide public school teachers a smaller bonus than proposed by the Democrats, along with giving a $75 boost to the basic allotment.
Under the Senate’s bill, teachers in large districts would get a $3,000 bonus. Those in small districts — with fewer than 5,000 students — would get $10,000. Small and rural districts often pay less than those in urban areas.
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The House has yet to take up these bills.
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A $15,000 teacher bonus? Texas House Democrats unveil public school funding proposal
