Raise Your Hand Texas’ Statement on the House Bill 2 Compromise

Raise Your Hand Texas commends the House and Senate for reaching a compromise on House Bill 2 (HB 2). This legislation provides much-needed support to raise teacher and staff pay, expand special education services, increase school safety resources, and help school districts manage the rising costs of insurance, utilities, and other essential operations. House Bill 2 is an important step in what must be a longer journey to fund Texas public school students comparably to their peers across the country. 

Now, we urge lawmakers to build upon their momentum by passing House Bill 4 (HB 4) as approved by the House. In 2022, Raise Your Hand completed an ambitious statewide listening campaign to hear from Texans–parents, teachers, students, business leaders, and more–about what makes a good school. We gathered feedback from more than 15,600 stakeholders, and their message was clear: the quality of our schools and the growth of our students cannot be captured by one test on one day.

House Bill 4 recognizes this truth and moves Texas towards an accountability system that measures what matters. The bill delivers long overdue reforms to the STAAR test and A–F accountability system, creating a more accurate and meaningful reflection of teaching and learning in Texas classrooms. 

With only days left in the 89th legislative session, now is the time for legislators to vote for meaningful change to our assessment and accountability system.