State, school leaders concerned about budgets
In a preview of the upcoming state legislative session, which begins Jan. 12, 2021, Senate Finance Committee Chair Jane Nelson warned that she would begin her examination of state agency budgets at “zero.” Lawmakers should have a clearer picture of the state’s economic forecast when Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar releases a revised revenue estimate this summer, but Nelson said Senate budget writers would likely have to take their customary fiscal restraint “a step further.”
While House Public Education Committee Chair Dan Huberty also expects the state to "tighten its belt," he wrote an opinion piece this week to affirm the state's commitment to public education and said protecting and building on the accomplishments of HB 3 in the last session would be a priority in 2021.
School leaders have also written to Congress to request additional federal funding for schools in the next coronavirus supplemental appropriations bill. TCTA will continue working with state and federal lawmakers to prioritize public education funding and protect the rights and needs of teachers and their students.
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