Texas House approves $8.5B school funding bill

TEXAS, USA — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Texas Tribune. Read the  original article here . 

The Texas House on Thursday gave the final stamp of approval to legislation authorizing roughly $8.5 billion in funding for public schools, sending the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk where it is soon expected to become law.

Final passage of House Bill 2, which will give schools additional money for teacher and staff salaries, educator preparation, special education, safety requirements and early childhood learning, comes on the heels of extensive negotiations between the House and Senate over how the final version of the bill would look.

Abbott has already said he intends to sign the bill, a notable difference from two years ago when he and the Legisla