Texas Senate panel approves $8 billion school funding plan as it seeks middle ground with House

The Texas Senate unveiled Thursday its counterproposal to the House's public education funding bill. The $8 billion package would create a long-term teacher pay raise system, among other things. (Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune)

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The Texas Senate education committee on Monday advanced its counterproposal to the House’s multibillion-dollar public school funding legislation, a measure that would establish a long-term teacher pay raise system tied to years of experience, phase out the state’s reliance on untrained teachers by the end of the decade and overhaul the state’s special education funding system.