1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to take a stand for Texas public schools and vote with working families on House Bill 2. Our public education system is under immense strain. Districts across Texas are being forced to close campuses, cut staff, and stretch every dollar — while inflation keeps rising and state support lags behind. HB 2’s proposed $395 per-student increase to the basic allotment simply isn’t enough. We need at least $1,386 more per student just to return to 2019 funding levels in real dollars. Anything less is a cut in disguise. And that includes substituting pay-for-performance raises in for a basic allotment increase. As your constituent, I want to be clear: -I support significant increases to the basic allotment and across-the-board raises for all school employees — not just those tied to test scores. -I support adding to the per-student increase to the basic allotment in HB 2, as it will guarantee raises for all teachers and support staff, and adding dedicated teacher pay raises as outline in SB 26 on top of that amount. -I support for full-day pre-K funding for all Texas kids, as we know access to early childhood education is one of the biggest markers of success for students. -I oppose efforts to tie pay raises to pay-for-performance metrics. Basic pay increases on students' standardized test scores is a flawed system and one that excludes teachers in non-tested subjects, as well as our paraprofessional and support staff. Please fight for ALL Texas students to have the best education possible.