Gov. Abbott signs bill to provide $8.5B for Texas public schools

Abbott signs education funding bill

A pay raise for Texas teachers is now official. On Wednesday, Gov. Abbott signed House Bill 2, a multi-billion education spending plan

SALADO, Texas - On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that will provide $8.5 billion for public schools.

The event was held just over a month after the governor signed school choice legislation into law that created a program to set aside taxpayer money for parents to pay for private schools.

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House Bill 2: Public School Funding

Gov. Greg Abbott signs $8.5B public school funding bill

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2 into law on Wednesday afternoon. The bill provides money for public schools and teachers.

By the numbers:

About half of the money, according to Rep. Brad Buckley, $4.2 billion goes to pay & retention.  The money is to have a very specific payout:

• $2,500 for teachers with three to four years of experience.
• $5,000 for teachers with five or more years of experience in districts with more than 5,000 students.
• $4,000 for teachers for three to 4 years
• $8,000 dollars for teachers with five more years of experience in districts with 5,000 or fewer students.
• $500 million will go for support staff pay raises. Those that qualify include entry-level teachers, counselors, librarians, nurses, custodians, bus drivers, and other support staff.

There are several other funding carve-outs in HB2.

• $677 million for early learning programs.
• $430 million school safety.
• $850 million increase for special education.
• $200 million in charter facilities funding.
• $300 million increase for rural schools.
• $153 million for career and Vo-Technical
• $135 million for teacher certification initiatives

House Bill 2 will mostly go into effect at the beginning of September.

What they're saying:

The governor spoke at the Wednesday event about the dispersement of the new funding.

"Teacher pay raises have been allocated increasingly, separately, because we wanted to make sure that 100 cents on the dollar was actually reaching the teacher, as opposed to any of that money being used for administrative expenses," said Abbott.

Public Education Committee Chairman Brad Buckley (R-Salado), who represents the delegates of the event's location, also praised the legislation.

"There's never been a more important time to put the resources in the hands of our educators for us to be number one. And that's what we kept in mind the whole time," said Buckley. 

"The fact that this teacher allotment for compensation is not just a bonus or a stipend, it's, for the first time ever, permanent. And it will grow permanently, and that cup will be filled every single biennium going forward. That is incredible," said State Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), who pushed the legislation through the upper chamber.

Abbott has praised HB 2 for not only having extra pay, but for expanding programs like special education and Vo-Technical. 

"The school choice bill that passed this year is far superior to what was on the table in 2023. And the school funding this year is far more than what was offered in 2023, and in hindsight, there is more school funding and a better school choice program that came out of this session, than what would have happened in 2023," said Abbott.

Public education advocates say they appreciate the long-awaited funding measure. 

Critics have noted that the amount of money in HB 2, while large, does not keep pace with inflation from the last plan that was passed in 2019.

Bill Signing Event

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gov. Abbott signs school choice bill into law

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2 into law on Saturday, creating a school choice program that allows parents to use public school dollars to fund private school education.

What's next:

The bill signing was held at Salado Middle School at 3 p.m.

Gov. Greg Abbott was joined by Chairman Brandon Creighton, Chairman Buckley, Salado Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Novotny, Temple Independent School District teacher JoMeka Gray, and other educators and legislative leaders.