Governor Greg Abbott delivered his State of the State on February 1st pointing out five areas that he would declare as emergency items: Expanding Broadband Access, Discourage Cities from Defunding the Police, Bail Reform, Election Integrity, and COVID-related Civil Liability Protection. This designation means the legislature can take up the issue including voting on the bill within the first 60 days of the legislative session which started January 12th.
Abbott pointed to strides lawmakers made last session with the passage of HB 3 when he said, “But as Senator Taylor and Representative Huberty know, to stay on top and to sustain this growth, we must continue to invest in our future. And that is exactly what we did last session when we passed sweeping reforms to our school finance system and made major investments in our students and our teachers.” He elaborated further on teacher investments as he noted teacher raises. Teachers with five years of experience saw their pay increase by an average of $5,200, he stated. The digital divide is also closing he said as the state “partnered with school districts to provide internet connectivity and eLearning devices for schools and students.”
Looking forward to his agenda for education in the 87th Session other than expanding broadband access; he emphasized that “we must continue to fund education as we promised.”
As for new initiatives, Abbott remarked that students should be educated on what it means to be an America, a Texan, and why Texas is so exceptional. To that end, he asked lawmakers to pass a law that would strengthen civics education in the classroom and “ensure that every child learns the values of freedom, good governance, and patriotism.”