- 6/4/2025
On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) held a bill signing in Salado on public education funding and teacher pay raises.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you so much for being here. I'm Michael Novotny, Superintendent, Salado ISD, and this is Salado Middle School.
00:09We opened this facility five years ago, and we're very proud of this school here.
00:14Although I'll say that never in my wildest dreams did I think we would have this many dignitaries and VIPs and members of the media here, all just to check out some books here from our library.
00:25So our library will be in the back later, and you're welcome to check out some books later.
00:29But thank you for being here for the Governor Abbott signing of House Bill 2, and this bill will provide historic raises for our teachers here in Salado ISD, along with teachers all across the state and every public school district.
00:43And I know it's a team effort when you've got 150 state representatives and 31 state senators to get a bill across the line for the governor to sign.
00:52But there's one in particular that I wanted to thank, and that's Representative Buckley, our state representative here in Bell County.
00:59Again, thank you for being here.
01:16Well, Doctor, thank you very much.
01:17Thank you for your leadership here, and thank you for opening up this beautiful school for us to be able to make this very big announcement here.
01:24Also, I want to thank Jameka for being next to me, for being here, and thank her for the success that she's had in the teaching profession.
01:33Very much, I want to thank Chair Buckley as well as Chair Creighton for their leadership, working all the way through the session, negotiating to the very end to make sure we got the best package possible across the finish line.
01:45But they'll be the first to tell you, they don't do it themselves, and you can't have one member of the House and one member of the Senate get legislation passed.
01:53It takes members of both the Texas House and Texas Senate to get this bill across the finish line to my desk.
02:00We've got great members of the Texas House with us here today, on both sides of us, and some members of the Texas Senate also.
02:06Give it up for the members of the Texas House and Texas Senate.
02:08And I know he's around here somewhere, I can't put my eyes on him right now, but I do want to also express my gratitude for the leadership of Mike Morath.
02:27Well, right behind me.
02:28Anyone who thought I had eyes in the back of my head got disproved right now.
02:42So, we're here obviously to officially sign House Bill 2.
02:49And I'll talk about some of the elements of that bill.
02:52But before I do, I want to provide the context of what it is that we're seeking to achieve, both through House Bill 2, as well as all these laws that we've passed concerning education.
03:06What is our goal in education?
03:09If you look at what's happened in years and decades past, we've had leadership that's been repeatedly focused on education.
03:17The primary focus, however, has been on different tactics and strategies to meet that particular moment in time, to meet the needs that existed at that time.
03:28Without, however, setting an overarching goal and a mission about what we are trying to achieve in the state of Texas.
03:38I say that I am the first governor in the history of our state to actually articulate that goal.
03:44Texas is number one in so many categories.
03:49Texas should be number one in educating our children.
04:02Let's not make any mistake.
04:05It's a big aspiration at this time.
04:06The goal to be number one, to become a champion, starts with a spark of aspiration.
04:15And that aspiration provides drive to be able to achieve that goal.
04:19But we all know that aspiration alone doesn't achieve a goal, especially a goal as lofty as being right number one.
04:27That requires action.
04:28We've been down this road in Texas many times.
04:33A few decades ago, Texas was categorized by some publications as a bad state for doing business.
04:40We wanted to recalibrate, repair, rebuild from that and cast a new vision about being a great place for doing business.
04:47And you look at what happened after that aspiration, after the recalibration, after the action.
04:54Texas is now listed and ranked by CEOs as the best state for doing business for 20 years in a row.
05:03There's a tangible award that goes out for tangible, measurable results.
05:17It's called the Governor's Cup that goes to the state that ranks number one for the most new economic development projects.
05:24Texas not only has been ranked number one, we've been ranked number one for 13 years in a row.
05:29Well, it's one thing to be a champion.
05:32It's altogether different being a repeat champion.
05:35We've seen the same thing in the education arena.
05:38Ten years ago, we saw other states leading Texas in tier one research universities.
05:45We said, well, Texas should be ranked number one for tier one research universities.
05:49We took that aspiration and put action items behind it and strategies to be able to achieve that goal.
05:54And today, Texas ranks number one among all states for the most tier one research universities in the United States of America.
06:01I could list to you dozens of ways in which Texas ranks number one.
06:15But important to today, it's time that we Texans collectively recast our gaze to Texas being ranked number one for educating the children of the great state of Texas.
06:30House Bill 2 takes substantial steps toward us achieving that goal.
06:45It starts with better funding our schools.
06:49This law does that by providing a record $8.5 billion boost to education funding in the state of Texas.
07:07Next, essential to education is high-quality educators.
07:12We want to be able to attract and to keep the very best teachers toward that goal.
07:21This law provides a record pay raise for our teachers in the state of Texas.
07:35Teacher pay will be at an all-time high.
07:38This also expands the teacher incentive alignment merit pay to put more teachers on the pathway to being able to earn a six-figure salary.
07:48And it invests in high-quality teacher preparation and certification programs.
07:54Our teachers will not just be better paid, they will be better prepared for their classrooms.
08:01Another element to improve education is better curriculum.
08:14It requires mastering the basics.
08:17This law does that.
08:19It funds reading and math education for our students and substantially increases funding for special education students.
08:27Equally important is improving career training for students across Texas.
08:34The purpose of education is not just gaining knowledge.
08:40It's also developing skills that will build a career that will also advance our state.
08:46Our state needs more professionals in high-paying careers like nurses, welders, mechanics, plumbers, and electricians.
08:54This law will prepare students for the workforce by expanding career pathways, especially in rural districts,
09:02increasing funding for programs in high-demand fields, and providing resources for career training facilities.
09:09More than anything, this law will help students go from graduation directly into a good-paying job right here in the Lone Star State.
09:19So House Bill 2 ensures that our schools are funded better than ever.
09:32Teacher pay and student funding are at all-time highs.
09:36Reading and math performance is on an upward trajectory,
09:40and students will be better prepared for the workforce than ever before.
09:44The foundation is now in place for Texas education to begin the upward climb of the ranks toward the pathway
09:55of eventually being ranked number one for education in the United States of America.
10:08Now to sound the bill.
10:30It's not as simple as it looks.
11:00It's now my pleasure to pass the
11:30microphone to Jamaica Gray, who, as I understand it, is the 2025 Region 12 Elementary Teacher
11:37of the Year.
11:38Give it up!
11:40Good afternoon, distinguished members of the Texas Legislature, fellow educators, and citizens.
11:57My name is Jamaica Gray, and I am honored to stand before you today as a kindergarten teacher
12:02at Kennedy Powell Elementary School in Temple ISD.
12:05I have just completed my 13th year as an educator and as a mentor.
12:11I currently serve as a senior policy fellow on the Texas Teacher Plus Advocacy Group, and
12:16as the governor just mentioned, I was the 2024 Region 12 Teacher of the Year.
12:20I also went off to be one of the finalists for the 2025 Texas Teachers of the Year as well.
12:27But beyond my classroom experience, I am the proud wife of my Army veteran husband, Michael.
12:33And I am a devoted mother to two amazing children.
12:45One of them is here today, my 12-year-old girl, Scout Jasmine, and my 7-year-old Houston Astros
12:51fan, MJ, couldn't be with us today.
12:53I extend heartfelt appreciation to Chairman Buckley and to our legislators for their hard work
13:06on House Bill 2.
13:08And to Governor Abbott, I just want to say thank you for signing this legislation into action.
13:13I'm marking the largest teacher investment in public education in our state's history.
13:19House Bill 2 is more than just a policy.
13:21It is a promise to our teachers.
13:25This bill prioritizes teacher, compensation, and preparation, as well as research-based strategies
13:30by the way of teacher reading and math academies in early literacy and numeracy, which are critical
13:37to long-term academic success.
13:40House Bill 2 makes a powerful commitment to the future of the teaching profession.
13:45The bill allocates $187 million towards quality teacher preparation, including teacher residency,
13:51and mentorships.
13:54House Bill 2 also delivers a holistic investment in teacher compensation.
13:58For teachers with three or more years of experience, it introduces a well-deserved permanent retention
14:05allotment, as well as expands the teacher incentive allotment, which I just so happen to be a master
14:10teacher to receive some of that allotment.
14:13This allows more teachers to focus entirely on teaching without the constant worry of earning
14:27a livable wage and keeps our most effective teachers in the classroom.
14:32As we celebrate the passing of House Bill 2, let us also reflect on its enduring impact.
14:39This legislation touches the lives of 5.5 million students enrolled in Texas public schools.
14:45It strengthens the teaching profession and largely supports the needs of special education students.
14:50On behalf of Texas educators, parents, and students, I offer my deepest thanks to our governor
14:58and our legislators for supporting the future of public education.
15:03Let us move forward together with a shared vision for excellence, opportunity for every child in Texas.
15:08Thank you all.
15:20We'll take a few questions.
15:21Pardon?
15:23Pardon?
15:25So I couldn't hear exactly, but it sounded like you began your question with Buckley.
15:55I'm happy to answer also, but – and so here's what has actually happened over the past decade, and that is as opposed to putting teacher pay raises in the basic allotment.
16:12Teacher pay raises have been allocated increasingly separately because we wanted to make sure that 100 cents on the dollar was actually reaching the teacher as opposed to any of that money being used for administrative expenses.
16:25To help out with those budget issues, there's $1.3 billion of this budget going toward that.
16:39So to be clear, what happened both in 2023 and 2021, we were dealing – we being the state, but also every state in the United States – we're dealing with one-off education budgetary issues.
17:08We had a massive influx of billions upon billions of dollars from the federal government during the time of COVID, and that COVID funding was there to fully fund education for the 21 and 23 budget years.
17:23This year, we don't have that, and that's why it was necessary that Texas step up this time and make sure we provide the funding in a record form
17:30to make sure that we're putting the Texas schools on a pathway toward that number one goal.
17:42Not really, I'll be honest with you, because to be specific on what you're talking about, I think you're talking about, well, things didn't work out because school choice was not passed.
17:50The school choice bill that passed this year, far superior to what was on the table in 2023.
17:57And the school funding this year, far more than what was offered in 2023.
18:04In hindsight, there is more school funding and a better school choice program that came out of this session than what would have happened in 2023.
18:12So I think that it would be just not the right thing to do to say, well, we're now going to be number one.
18:37We've got to earn that title, and we earn that title every single day in the classroom.
18:45And that means we've got to go about this process of making sure we are attracting and keeping the best teachers,
18:51because those best teachers will lead to better education outcomes for our students.
18:56We've got to take these investments that we're making in reading and math, which are the basics.
19:00We know that improvement is needed in every region of our state in reading and math outcomes.
19:05And so we're going to have both the teachers as well as the skill sets and training strategies to make sure that we are improving the baseline of our students in all those areas.
19:17Texas did not become number one in the economy and business in one year or two years.
19:26It took more than a decade.
19:28We've got to make sure we take steps every single year along the pathway, and we will get there eventually.
19:35Can you talk a little bit more about how to take the work behind the scenes to keep the thought of that?
19:43I mean, to be honest, the senator and representative would be better at that.
19:48I'll just say from our perspective, from the governor's office, we came in very encouraging of Chair Buckley and Chair Creighton about where they were.
20:00You know, we began this session with what I'll call a running start based upon past budget proposals, and we were able to hone it along the way.
20:09And the way the legislative process works is everyone has more ideas, and we want to add this, maybe subtract that, and it leads to a better product.
20:17I think the product we wound up with was the best available.
20:20But if these members want to provide more detail about what it took to get there, please share it.
20:26Absolutely.
20:27Thank you, Governor.
20:28I want to thank Senator Creighton and the Senate team for their collaboration on this.
20:34You know, the bill left the House floor in a certain way, and I want to thank my House members that are here, which we dang near have a quorum, it looks like.
20:43Welcome to Salado.
20:47Eat and spend some money while you're here.
20:49But, you know, and then it goes to the Senate, and that's our process.
20:54But the best thing was is I knew I have a friend in Brandon Creighton, and that he and I understand the importance of getting something like this across the finish line.
21:03There's never been a more important time to put the resources in the hands of our educators for us to be number one.
21:11And that's what we kept in mind the whole time, was how do we go about doing that?
21:15I had great help from other members of the House working on this, and the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker were great.
21:23As we walked in a little under eight, and ended up at eight and a half billion dollars, as we recognized what we needed to be number one, and then hopefully put the resources behind it.
21:33And anyway, I'll let Senator Creighton add on to that.
21:38Yes, I would just add much of the same.
21:41I mean, I'm very grateful to the strong leadership of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker, and how they continue to lead during the session.
21:49Chairman Buckley is a strong negotiator, and a man of character and integrity.
21:57All the kids that you see in this room, and our teachers, our moms and dads out there, definitely on his heart as the top priority for doing what is best for the future of our public schools.
22:11And as Chairman Buckley mentioned, just our staffs and our working relationship on the toughest of days, and one of the most complex funding bills that, out of the nearly 10,000 bills filed in the legislative session,
22:26the complexity of this bill, and just making sure that we never lost sight of who we're serving, who deserves the finish line to be accomplished, and for these kids standing up here with us, and all around this room, staying the top priority.
22:43And as the Chairman mentioned, you know, these members standing here from the House and the Senate, our 1,200 public school districts and all of our students across the state,
22:56they will never truly know how important our public schools and our education process in this state is to them.
23:07Each and every one of them were key to shaping this bill and exactly where we are today for this historic piece of legislation that I think is a generational change for our public schools.
23:21There was so much to talk about in the strategies that we invested in, in early literacy and numeracy, and in the teacher compensation, teacher prep, and teacher certification.
23:32The fact that this teacher allotment for compensation is not just a bonus or a stipend, it's for the first time ever permanent, and it will grow permanently, and that cup will be filled every single biennium going forward.
23:49That is incredible.
23:50So, I'm just thankful to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker, Commissioner Morath, all the stakeholders in our hearings, the teachers that took the time to wait nine hours to testify,
24:10because it was on their heart and important to make sure they were there and in that process, and just thankful to the members as well.
24:19Chairman Buckley, whatever else we can negotiate and work on in the future, I'm in.
24:23Maybe not as tough of a bill as this one, but, you know, the purpose behind it and ultimately the end goal for these kids standing up here behind us and those coming soon,
24:38it will define the Texas economic miracle for generations, and it's all about them.
24:49Well, thank you all very much.
24:55All the best to everybody here, and for our teachers, have a great summer.
24:57Thank you all very much.
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