AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF News) – The Texas Legislature will meet in special session next week and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said he supports all 20 bills that Governor Greg Abbott has put on call for the session.
Patrick unveiled a plan that places places property taxes, higher pay for teachers and bolstering a school finance plan are at the top of his priority list.
“Property taxes most important issue that we have to address this session. They must pass, we must have a roll back, we must have an automatic election,” he said.
Many school districts across the state have complained about lack of funding and low wages for teachers.
Patrick said he has an answer for that.
“We’re saying to the school districts, over the next four years find five percent of all of your funding that’s not going to teachers and make sure that money goes to teachers. That will increase the salary of the average teacher by about $8,000. It’s just a matter of prioritizing the money,” he said.
Patrick said passing legislation to ensure more resources for retired teachers is also a top priority of the special session.
He said investing in education should always be a top priority.
“The teachers are the most important part of a child’s education. We must make every effort to compensate for the work they do because our children’s education is critical to the future of our state,” he said.
Copyright 2017. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
