This week was a busy one for the House Public Education Committee, with two days of hearings dedicated to House Bill 2, Chairman Brad Buckley’s school finance bill.
On the first day of committee work on HB 2, Buckley, who was peppered with questions from his constituents about his voucher bill, HB 3, at a recent Salado town hall, laid out his vision:
- a small $220 increase in the basic allotment (moving from $6,160 per student to $6,380)
- additional money for outcomes-based compensation through the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA)
- much-needed grants to support educator preparation
- a long overdue revamp of special education funding formulas
The fiscal note for the bill reported this would be an approximately $7.5 billion dollar investment from the state over the next biennium.
Though Texas AFT appreciates sorely needed investments in public education, the bill would also expand the TIA, which would further exacerbate the over-emphasis on STAAR testing. A bright spot is that unlike the Senate’s SB 26, HB 2 does maintain National Board Certification as an entry into the TIA system at a “recognized” level. Considering how rigorous the National Board Certification process is, we think that educators who achieve this distinction should be at the “master” level.
Texas AFT members have a wide range of perspectives on the issue of outcomes-based compensation. Our members who teach in Northside ISD report that their new TIA system rewards only math and English teachers, hurting morale and driving teachers from the district. Our Alliance/AFT members in Dallas ISD who received TIA bonuses oppose this plan because a substantial number of other educators on their campuses received nothing because they teach subjects that aren’t tested. Showing the meaning of solidarity, our members have testified in previous legislative sessions that they’d rather forgo their own bonus if it comes at the expense of their colleagues who contribute just as much to students’ success.
On Thursday, Education Austin member Taylor Cavin testified on how HB 2’s increase to the basic allotment is not enough to provide for her students, a statement so powerful that it was included in a recent KVUE segment.
HB 2’s Massive Charter School Giveaway
The bill includes a significant increase in the amount of taxpayer dollars being given to privately run charter schools for facilities (while simultaneously removing a restriction that charters must actually spend the money on instructional facilities). Restrictions like this exist for a reason: charter schools have a record of purchasing things like a luxury condo to store files, and even a boutique hotel.
This one-page explainer from Our Schools Our Democracy (OSOD) describes exactly what charters would get from HB 2 despite decades of documented fraud and waste. Under HB 2, charter schools gain more funding than school districts per student. HB 2 proposes a basic allotment increase of $220 per student, which goes to both charter schools and independent school districts. The proposed charter facility allotment increase is $289 per student – more than the increase to the basic allotment.
OSOD Director of Community Engagement Maggie Stern testified that, as a result, charter schools, who serve around 426,000 students would get more than twice as much money per pupil as the public schools serving 5.5 million students.
Left to Right: Texas AFT Retiree Plus Member Margaret Daniels with Education Austin Members Megan Vasquez, Taylor Cavin, Megan Holden, and Mallory Vinson.
The Real Experts on HB 2
Texas AFT was proud to host several members from Education Austin, who came to the Capitol on Thursday to testify about their concerns with HB 2 and public school underfunding broadly.
The Impact on Students
Megan Vasquez, an AISD teacher and multiple-year nominee for Teacher of the Year, testified about her concerns for both teachers and students and their families.
“Every staff cut directly harms students. The rising cost of living is overwhelming. Without salary raises to match inflation, I’m faced with tough decisions, like whether to pay my rent or buy groceries,” Vasquez told lawmakers.
Vasquez said she is concerned about the loss of crucial community services that her students and their families depend on, including “bus routes, summer school, and after-school care, all of which are at risk.”
Regarding public school facilities, Vasquez told the committee that “our schools also need repair. At my school, the HVAC system has failed dozens of times this year, leaving students in 90-degree heat” and urged the committee to act, saying, “the time to act is now. We must invest in our teachers, prioritize our students’ needs, and fully fund our schools.”
Chronic Underfunding of Public Education
Another Austin ISD teacher, Taylor Cavin, provided strong testimony about the chronic underfunding of our public schools.
“It’s an excuse to pass a voucher bill, and your children’s teachers know it,” Cavin said, pointedly. “We need a significant increase of the per-student funding allotment in order to guarantee the services our students need.”
Cavin pointed out that the reason Texas has such a large budget surplus “is a result of underfunding our public school system.”
Regarding the TIA, Cavin provided a vivid example of its inadequacy as a solution when teachers’ base pay is so much lower than people with comparable skills and education levels in other fields.
“HB 2 claims to address income inequality for educators, yet I have a master’s degree, TIA recognition, and still earn less than my friends with bachelor’s degrees,” Cavin said. “Performance-based pay won’t fix our classrooms.”
The Trouble with the TIA
Also in testimony on Thursday, Patty Quinzi, Texas AFT’s director of Public Affairs and legislative counsel, emphasized to the committee that the TIA is not an immediate raise, and it doesn’t cover most teachers who are not in tested subjects.
Because the TIA relies so heavily on test scores, it takes an entire school year of jumping through hoops to get this bonus at the end of the school year when test scores are made available. The bottom line is that HB 2 in its current form does not provide the across-the board raise that both teachers and support staff need right now.
Parents also appeared at the Capitol to testify in support of educators including one mother of a public school student who held up a quarter as she testified to make the point to the committee members that our educators and support personnel are struggling when they they’ve lost the value of a quarter out of every dollar they make.
Chairman Buckley stated that the committee will continue to work on improving the bill in the coming weeks.
TEA Under the DOGE Microsope
On Wednesday, lawmakers on the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) committee in the Texas House began their hard look at state government efficiency, with a stated focus on modernizing operations, enhancing oversight, and ensuring accountability. Lawmakers and experts testified on the importance of cutting waste and streamlining agency functions through regular audits and sunset reviews.
Critics pointed out that some agencies — like the Texas Education Agency (TEA) — have not been audited in decades, raising concerns over management of public education funds.
Considering the ongoing discussions around school finance, Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos asked TEA Commissioner Mike Morath why — while special education, pre-K, and transportation are underfunded, and local schools are closing — the state agency has ballooned its own workforce by 50%.