By the Numbers: the 88th Legislature

$0

The amount of raises the Legislature passed for teacher and school staff raises

0

The number of bills to limit class sizes or reduce educator workloads that received a committee hearing

28 cents per student

The amount of new money the Legislature invested in school safety in HB 3

61

The number of representatives who voted for Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer’s amendment to the state budget draft that would have guaranteed a $10,000 across-the-board raise for educators

655

The number of pages of overwhelmingly negative public comments on voucher bill SB 8, which was later crammed into school finance bill HB 100, ensuring its defeat

1,170

The number of full-time employees at the Texas Education Agency, an increase of 54 new positions accounted for in this record-breaking state budget

$6,160

The amount of the basic allotment that funds public schools that has remained stagnant since 2019 and this Legislature chose, once again, not to raise

28,500

The number of 2021 TRS retirees who will be left out of the cost-of-living adjustment passed by the Legislature because of the way the final version of the bill was structured.

$325,000

The new salary cap for the appointed education commissioner, as budgeted by this Legislature

$1 million+

The price tag for every 30-day special session of the Legislature

$500 million

The amount of money set aside in the state budget to fund a voucher program that did not pass (and has not been allotted for any other use)

$32.7 billion

The amount of Texas’ current budget surplus, larger than the entire budgets of 24 states

$33.4 billion

The price it would have cost for this Legislature to fund our schools to thrive this biennium, with across-the-board raises, increased hiring, and a TRS COLA

$188.2 billion

The total amount of money this Legislature had available for this state budget

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