Texas Senate panel approves teacher bonuses, retirement benefits

[TexasTowelie]

by Aliyya Swaby, Texas Tribune

The Senate Finance Committee Saturday approved a proposal Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick listed as a priority for Texas education: providing bonuses and pay raises for long-term teachers, and reduced health-care costs for retired teachers.

The committee voted 10-3 to approve Senate Bill 19, authored by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, which would provide $193 million for teacher bonuses starting September 2018, put $212 million into state-run health insurance for retired teachers, and require school districts to increase teacher pay by $1,000 starting in 2019.

The senators who voted for the measure were Republicans; those who opposed it were Democrats. State Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, was present but decided not to vote.

The full Senate could consider the bill as soon as Monday.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/07/22/texas-senate-finance-panel-approves-teacher-bonuses-retirement-benefit/

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

[Alice11111]

1. Holy jesus...the heavens must open up. Did someone

put LSD in the coffee. One of the dumbist and the cruelest legislative bodies ever...I used to work there. I'm long gone from Texas though. I still keep tabs as the governor and Legislature try to destroy the things I loved about it.

[LeftInTX]

2. They are still cruel as hell.

Nobody gave them LSD.

The $1,000 pay raise was unfunded and removed from the bill.

After rallies and protests they are throwing us a bone. Instead of a $3,000 deductible, retired teachers will now have a $1500 deductible. The monthly premiums are still going to be more than some teacher's retirement checks.

Some of this money is coming from Medicaid.

The Texas Rainy Day Fund has $11 billion dollars and they sit on it.

[Alice11111]

3. Yeah, that's my old Texas. God, Gov Abbott is even worse

than Perry. Of course, DT has given them fresh oxygen. I see them becoming extreme RW in Nebraska & of course Kansas too. This is not even the same awful Repub party of 10 years ago.

I'm sorry about the teachers. I'm in NM, but we have a Republican Gov. My teacher friends are buying textbooks out of their own pocket. It is halfway through the year before they get half of the books. Half are using old editions. Destroying education, destroys the foundation of our society. Can't these arrogant RWers see that?