Texas
Thousands of Texas teachers to get pay raises under record-breaking school funding bill
Thousands of teachers across North Texas could soon see a significant boost in their paychecks, thanks to a record-breaking school funding bill that’s now headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.
House Bill 2, an $8.5 billion funding plan, cleared its final legislative hurdle on Thursday. Governor Abbott has promised to quickly sign the bill, which aims to address teacher shortages and improve retention across Texas. If signed, teachers could start seeing the raises take effect in 2026.
Nearly half of the funding – $4.2 billion – is earmarked for teacher pay. In larger school districts such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, and Plano, teachers with at least three years of experience will receive a $2,500 raise. Those with five or more years in the classroom will receive $5,000.
Raises are nearly double for teachers in smaller districts with fewer than 5,000 students.
The bill also includes $500 million in raises for other school staff like librarians, cafeteria workers, and custodians.
The funding package has drawn wide support from education advocates and business leaders alike, who see it as a step toward addressing long-standing concerns over school resources and student outcomes.
“It’s not just how much money are we going to give our schools that is a critical question to ask, but it is just as much how are we going to invest those funds and how are we going to measure that return on that investment,” said Kate Greer, a consultant with Commit Partnership, during a summit in April.
“Under-education of our young adults represents significant limitations on our business community,” added Jarrad Toussant with the Dallas Regional Chamber.
However, House Bill 2 didn’t pass without fierce negotiations. It was approved alongside the controversial school choice measure that allows taxpayer money to fund private school education through education savings accounts. Governor Abbott has already signed that legislation into law.
- In addition to teacher raises, House Bill 2 also provides:
- $430 million for school security improvements
- $850 million for special education services
- $677 million for early learning programs
- A new $1.3 billion allotment for fixed district costs like insurance, utilities, and transportation
Governor Abbott has until June 22 to sign House Bill 2 and other legislation passed during this session.
AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday he has secured a settlement of bankruptcy claims against genetic testing company 23andMe stemming from a 2023 data breach that exposed personal information, including some genetic ancestry data, of 6.9 million customers worldwide.
Paxton’s office said the settlement includes $150 million for a multistate coalition of 42 states. But because of limited funds in 23andMe’s bankruptcy estate and competing claims, the states’ recovery will be $18 million paid immediately, with Texas receiving $1,266,860.
23andMe disclosed in October 2023 that attackers had accessed accounts affecting 6.9 million consumers. Some of the information was later posted for sale on the dark web, according to Paxton’s office, which said the company learned of the breach months after the data became publicly available. The office said 23andMe initially denied a breach and later blamed consumers’ account settings and password practices.
Paxton joined a multistate investigation that concluded 23andMe used unreasonable security practices and failed to implement adequate safeguards against hacking, the office said.
23andMe filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2025. Paxton’s office said the settlement incorporates privacy and cybersecurity requirements, including enhanced security standards, comprehensive risk assessments and creation of an independent advisory board, along with enforcement of state privacy laws and continued consumer data deletion rights.
“Companies that collect and profit from Texans’ most personal information have a legal duty to protect it,” Paxton said in a statement.
The company also agreed to a $46.75 million class-action settlement in the bankruptcy case for affected U.S. consumers who submitted claims by Feb. 17, 2026, Paxton’s office said.
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
The Texas Longhorns entered the 2025 season with more expectations than any team has had to deal with in recent memory.
Many among the media were ready to crown the team and quarterback Arch Manning before they even played one game. Of course, those unrealistic expectations were never met, even though the team finished with a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl win over the Michigan Wolverines.
2026 is heading in the same direction for the Longhorns. Many believe head coach Steve Sarkisian has the most talented team in the country. But in order to fix the issues from this past season, the Longhorns needed to fix one issue that has cost them in the past.
Changing The Narrative
One of the biggest issues the Longhorns had last season was the play of the offensive line. It was apparent in the first game of the season against the Ohio State Buckeyes that Manning didn’t have the pocket time needed to make big plays.
This offseason, Coach Sarkisian went out and found two massive transfer portal additions that should completely change the narrative on this offensive line.
It starts with potential starting right tackle Melvin Siani. Siani has spent time with the Temple Owls and last season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Longhorns are set at left tackle with Trevor Goosby, who could play himself into being a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. If the team can get competent play from Siani, the offense will be able to open up the playbook, and the world may finally see Manning at his college peak.
The Longhorns also went out and found a potential fix at left guard for the 2026 season. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers transfer Laurence Seymore could be another strong patch for the holes in the offensive line.
After spending the first two seasons of his college career with the Miami Hurricanes, Seymore made stops with the Akron Zips and the Hilltoppers.
Of course, the one concern with Seymore is wondering if he can compete at the SEC level coming from the C-USA.
This season for the Longhorns starts and stops with the play of Manning. Coach Sarkisian and the rest of this coaching staff understood that protecting their quarterback was the most important goal when building the 2026 roster.
The Longhorns are going to be leaning on veteran talent to protect their quarterback, and it may very well be the best decision they made this offseason.
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