“House Bill 3 invests $9 billion in public education, which includes many improvements including $5,000 pay raises for teachers and librarians, $780 million for free, full-day pre-k for low-income students, restructured provisions to provide homeowner property tax relief and most importantly, no longer include a sales tax increase.
“This is not a perfect bill. There were several aspects of the bill that concerned me, such as, the lack of pay increases for all school employees, the lack of funding for English language learners and poor students and the inclusion of outcomes-based merit pay. However, this bill takes a good step forward for public education. It will have a positive impact on Texas schools, especially in schools located in minority and low-income areas, like Senate District 13. I am hopeful that my concerns are addressed when this bill goes to conference committee.”
