Senate education committee adopts substitute for House Bill 2, advancing $8 billion school finance package to full Senate

The Senate Committee on Education K-16 on Wednesday adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 2 and voted to report the bill to the full Senate, advancing a package members described as a historic increase in school funding.

The committee substitute was presented by Senator Creighton, the committee chairman, who outlined seven technical and substantive changes to the bill and said the substitute had been delivered to members earlier the day of the hearing. “I wanted to go through 7 of those,” Creighton said as he summarized the revisions.

The substitute makes multiple changes to the version previously considered. Key provisions described in committee include: an increase in the annual cap for an additional special-education evaluation incentive from $45,000,000 to $67,000,000 for the biennium; language to ensure Bluebonnet curriculum training grants have funding continuity between supplemental and regular appropriations so districts can continue training this summer; a narrowing of the code section that applies to educator preparation providers to address concerns from institutions of higher education; facility-usage reporting language included previously in Senate Bill 686 and Senate Bill 12; incorporation of language from Senate Bill 2185 to preserve bilingual education allotments when a district cannot immediately recruit a certified bilingual teacher; removal of a $20,000,000 annual cap on JROTC funding; and a prevailing-clause provision making the bill’s provisions controlling over other measures if conflicts arise.

The substitute also ties into other policy priorities discussed in committee, including a dedicated teacher-pay allotment members said is separate from changes to the basic allotment. Creighton framed the measure as a combination of a teacher-pay strategy and targeted investments in early literacy, numeracy and certification pathways for uncertified teachers. “We’re creating a new teacher pay allotment that represents by and large the largest percentage of the weight of the funding that’s flowing to our schools,” Creighton said.

Committee members praised the work but flagged concerns and requested continued negotiation. Senator Menendez said he appreciated the added funding for special education and safety resources but voiced concern about rising district costs such as transportation and insurance and said he planned to “vote present today based on what I know today” while he continued to review fiscal runs and consider floor amendments. Several other senators, including Senator Parker, Senator Bettencourt and Senator Hagenbo, expressed support for the substitute while noting additional conversations are needed on basic allotment flexibility and long-term implementation.

A roll call followed the committee motion to report the measure to the full Senate. The clerk recorded the following responses: Senator Bettencourt — Aye; Senator Middleton — Aye; Senator King — Aye; Senator Paxton — Aye; Senator West — Present; Senator Menendez — Aye; Senator Parker — Aye; Senator Hagenbo — Aye; Senator Campbell — Aye; Senator Creighton — Aye. The clerk announced there were nine ayes and two present-not-voting and that House Bill 2 would be reported favorably to the full Senate.

Actions taken in committee were procedural and do not finalize the bill’s language for enactment. Committee members said they expect further negotiations with the House and continued stakeholder engagement before final passage. The committee adjourned and left the bill in the Senate’s legislative process for floor consideration.