AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following the passage of Senate Bill 2, School Finance and Supplemental Payments for Teachers, by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston:

“Since I arrived in the Texas Senate, improving public education has been one of my top goals. I believe teaching is a profession and not a job, and teachers should be paid accordingly. I know the huge impact a great teacher has on the development of a child because my wife is a long-time schoolteacher, and I am the son-in-law of a teacher, as well as the father-in-law of a teacher. I know the success of our teachers is mission critical for a brighter Texas future.

“SB 2’s passage today drives more dollars toward teacher pay and elevates the teaching profession in Texas by implementing a robust compensation framework that rewards teachers for their continued work. From my travels across the state last year, I learned that teacher salaries in rural school districts have lagged teachers in urban districts for some time. SB 2 helps to close the gap between them by providing a much-needed $10,000 raise for our rural teachers and a $3,000 raise for our urban teachers. SB 2 also expands opportunities for our teachers to achieve additional incentives, meaning they can earn even more.

“Protecting our children, teachers, and staff in our schools is of paramount importance and, accordingly, the Senate’s passage of SB 2 will double both the per-student and per-campus school safety allotments. Parents should not have to worry about their students while they are at school.”

SB 2, by Sen. Brandon Creighton and Sen. Joan Huffman, expands eligibility under the Teacher Incentive Allotment, so that at least 50% of teachers can earn designations that come with additional pay.

SB 2 also increases the basic allotment by $75 per student and doubles the per-student school safety allotment from $10 to $20 and doubles the per-campus allotment from $15,000 to $30,000.