K‑12 subcommittee highlights $112 million for teacher pay, expanded reading and safety upgrades

Representative Whitmire, presenting the public‑education subcommittee report, said the panel concentrated on three priorities: teachers, children and safety. The subcommittee recommended $112,000,000 in appropriations to support teacher recruitment and retention; the presenter said that funding would provide a $1,500 salary increase in the new salary schedule and raise a cited new minimum starting salary to $48,500.

The subcommittee reported that the state portion of the average per‑pupil appropriation has risen by 44 percent since fiscal‑year 2018–19 and that total average per‑pupil funding had reached $19,075. The presenter said the state is starting to see a return on multiyear investments in educator pay.

Early childhood and reading investments: the presenter said the budget includes $4,400,000 to fully fund an increase in 4K enrollment for an additional 270 students (a 7 percent growth) and cited $54,000,000 for reading initiatives, $30,000,000 for a “summer boost” to expand reading camps for about 25,000 students not reading at grade level, and $24,000,000 for high‑quality instructional materials.

School safety and transportation: the package includes roughly $20,000,000 for safety upgrades (door locks, secure entry points, perimeter fencing and mapping systems) and $35,000,000 for bus purchases/leases to maintain a 15‑year vehicle rotation; the presenter said the program has enabled purchase or lease of about 1,900 new buses since FY2021.

Why it matters: presenters framed investments as targeted steps to address teacher shortages and literacy gaps post‑COVID, and to improve physical security and student transportation. The subcommittee’s proposals remain recommendations until the budget is finalized on the floor.