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.