March 8, 2019 - This has been a busy week in Austin. Friday, March 8th was the bill filing deadline which always leads to flurry of activity. Unfortunately, that is also the day that we see many not-o-great ideas get turned into legislation. But rest assured, I will remain on the look out and be vigilant as we make our way through the final eighty days of the legislative session.
The real headline from this week was the unveiling of the House's "Texas Plan" to reform our broken school finance system. This past Tuesday, I was proud to stand with Speaker Bonnen, and the majority of the legislature, for a press conference to unveil HB 3.
HB 3 will put nine billion additional dollars of state funding into our public school system. This is a huge commitment by the state which is long overdue. It increases per student funding by almost $900 per year.
By providing this additional money, we are able to reduce recapture payments by school districts by 38% this biennium. Those are substantial dollars that will stay in our local schools and not go back to the state. We will also see an across the board property tax rate reduction of four cents.
HB 3 provides one hundred forty million dollars to recruit and retain our best teachers and creates grants for teachers to utilize online learning tools. It will also provide additional dollars to expand career and technology programs. This will allow our students who do not want to attend a college to learn valuable skills, many of which we have a desperate need for.
I am proud to work with my fellow representatives as we advance this comprehensive plan to overhaul our school funding system. This plan is comprehensive and will affect almost every aspect of school funding. For more details on the Texas Plan, I would encourage you to go to www.thetexasplan.com to learn more about the House's ambitious proposal.
If you have any questions about the Texas Plan or any other legislation making its way through the legislature, please reach out to me at 512-463-0556 or district.paddie@house.texas.gov.
