Texas is advancing SB 26, a bill proposing significant teacher salary raises and free pre-K for educators' children, aiming to alleviate pay disparities and boost retention.

Last school year, the average teacher in Texas made thousands of dollars less than teachers in other states. A nearly $5 billion bill filed Tuesday in the Legislature seeks to provide across-the-board raises and put more money toward bonuses.

SB 26 expands the Teacher Inventive Allotment (TIA) a merit-based pay program that gives bonuses to top-performing teachers based on academic growth. Under SB 26, 50% of teachers in a district can participate in the teacher incentive program, compared to the current cap of 33%.