HB 9 would increase contributions by taxpayers collected at the state level from 6.8 percent to 7.8 percent in 2020 (and progressively higher to 8.8 percent in 2026) to decrease the funding period from 87 years to 30 years, respectively. This increase in contributions would cost taxpayers $684 million in the 2020-21 biennium and more thereafter. While this improves the financial soundness of TRS if the assumed rate of return is met, HB 9 does not solve the structural problems of TRS and adds additional costs to taxpayers of $658 million for a 13th payment to retirees in 2020.
State Education Board Should Support Proposed Literature List
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) should adopt a required literature list that supports the literacy and knowledge-acquisition of Texas students and not allow leftist organizations like the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (TCTELA) to pressure them into adopting a watered-down, politically driven list. Texas public schools have failed at both...