Texas House Bill 3 Brings Historic Investment to Educational Equity

House Bill 3, a sweeping and historic school finance bill passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019 and signed by Governor Greg Abbott, represents one of the most transformative Texas education bills in recent history. The $11.6 billion legislation provides more money for Texas classrooms, increases teacher compensation, reduces recapture payments, and cuts local property taxes for Texas taxpayers. The high-priority bill boosts per-student funding and reduces property taxes across the state, while mandating across-the-board teacher pay raises and reducing "Robin Hood" payments made by wealthy districts.

The legislation emerged from extensive bipartisan collaboration and represents a significant departure from Texas's previous funding challenges. The bill resulted from months of work beginning with the Texas Commission on Public School Finance and culminating in bipartisan cooperation between members of the Texas House and Senate. This comprehensive approach addressed multiple equity concerns simultaneously, recognizing that sustainable educational equity requires both adequate funding levels and fair distribution mechanisms across districts with varying property wealth.

The impact of HB 3 demonstrates how state-level legislative action can create substantial improvements in educational equity when political will aligns with evidence-based policy design. The $11.6 billion plan to reform school finance in Texas unanimously passed through both the Texas House and Senate, showing that educational equity can transcend partisan divisions when the focus remains on improving outcomes for all students. This unanimous support reflects the broad recognition that investing in equitable education funding serves the interests of communities across the political spectrum, creating a model for other states facing similar funding equity challenges.