Governor Abbott is making strides to improve working conditions for Teachers in Texas by approving a $1.6 billion increase in funding.

While the spending bill has not yet been signed, it's expected to happen Monday, June 3. More and more states are recognizing the need for more funding for public education following a wave of teacher strikes that began in 2017.

"In the inauguration, I made some pretty bold promises to the people of Texas," said Abbott, sworn into his second term in January. "I said we must reward teachers in school districts that achieve results, we've done that. I said we must prioritize spending in the classroom, we've done that."

While Texas teachers didn't strike and they don't collectively bargain, they did express their views with their votes. Currently Texas teachers make about $7,000 less than the national average, according to data gathered by the National Education Association.

In a move that personally surprises me, the proposal also includes a merit program that would pay exception teachers even more where "they could make a six-figure living and not have to go into being a principal or administration," Republican state Rep. Dan Huberty, the Texas House chairman over public education, told the AP.

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