Bill to give every teacher a $5,000 raise unanimously passes committee

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate Committee on Finance has voted unanimously in favor of a bill that will give every classroom teacher a $5,000 raise starting next year.

Senate Bill 3 cleared the committee on Monday with a 15 to 0 vote. It will now advance to the full Senate before moving on to the House for committee debate if successful.

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Flower Mound Republican Sen. Jane Nelson sponsored the legislation, which will give every full-time classroom teacher an across-the-board pay raise.

“It will provide an immediate financial boost for teachers, assist in retaining good teachers, and recruit the best and the brightest to this critical profession,” said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. “I will be moving this bill to the floor and out of the Senate at the earliest possible date.”

Around 350,000 teachers would qualify for the raise, which the Legislative Budget Board estimates would cost $1.8 billion a year, starting in 2020.

Charter school teachers would also be covered by the bill. It would also block school districts from lowering teachers’ salaries to displace the raise cost.

Teachers testified to the committee on Monday, saying the rising costs of healthcare and living has them struggling to keep up financially.