SENATE APPROVES BUDGET PLAN
(AUSTIN) — The Senate unanimously passed its version of the state budget for 2026-2027 Tuesday, approving a plan to spend $153.5 billion in state revenue. With federal funds included, the bill, SB 1 by Houston Senator Joan Huffman, would spend $336 billion. Huffman said that though the state came into the year with a large budget surplus and strong revenue collections, she expects the economy to return to normal in the near future, as the economic conditions created by the COVID pandemic continue to fade. “We again have the opportunities to make strategic, one-time investments, address long standing needs of our growing state, as well as return money back to taxpayers in the form of additional property tax relief,” said Huffman. “At the same time, we were very careful to craft a budget that is fiscally conservative and sustainable in future years.” The Senate budget, said Huffman, comes in under the constitutional spending limit by $4 billion.
Senator Joan Huffman of Houston led the Senate’s budget writing efforts as chair of the Finance Committee.
Key items in the budget include money to lower school property taxes and to raise the homestead exemption up to $140,000, pending voter approval. It also includes $500 million for a business tax cut. Public schools will see a $500 million increase in the amount of money they receive for school safety, doubling the per-campus allotment and tripling the per-student allotment. The bill includes more than $5.1 billion to cover the increase in teacher compensation passed by the Senate in the form of SB 26. It would fund salaries for 560 additional DPS troopers and make a large commitment to improving the drivers license department at the agency, allocating more than $100 million to increase staffing by 550 employees.
Once the House passes its bill, both chambers must come together to reconcile the two proposals in a conference committee. Once these negotiators agree on a final proposal, it will be presented in both chambers for an up-or-down vote.
The Education K-16 Committee on Tuesday took up a series of bills aimed at improving the classroom environment in public schools. A large survey of Texas educators found, said committee chair and Conroe Senator Brandon Creighton, that classroom safety and administrative support top the list of concerns. He offered SB 27, part of a package termed the Teacher Bill of Rights, to address these issues. “We hear you, and the Texas Legislature is working in response, and we will have your back,” said Creighton. The bill would allow teachers to remove disruptive or abusive students from the classroom and would require a return-to-class plan and written consent from the same teacher before he or she is allowed back. This decision can be appealed by the student and examined by a placement review panel.
It also addresses a number of administrative issues; it would require that unpaid leave is fairly calculated and proportionate to time missed. It would prohibit the state certification board from punishing teachers who terminate a contract early due to personal or family illness, or spousal or partner relocation. The bill would offer districts grants to incentivize the rehire of retired teachers and would encourage teachers to receive highly needed certifications, such as bilingual or special education, by waiving the cost of the first exam. It would also commission a time study on teacher workload with an eye towards streamlining the many non-teaching tasks educators handle day-to-day.
A series of bills were offered by Lubbock Senator Charles Perry which would increase consequences for students who are disruptive or violent. These bills would allow a student to be sent to disciplinary alternative educational placement if they are repeatedly disruptive and would mandate that any student who assaults a teacher, on campus or off, be expelled from campus and sent to a JJAEP program run by the state juvenile justice system. “It’s a common sense bill: if you hit a teacher, you get removed from the class,” said Perry.
###