Texas state leaders announced Thursday a decision to allocate $435 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to offset educators’ healthcare costs. The April 28 decision was announced Thursday by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman, and House Appropriations Committee Chair Greg Bonnen in a press release. The funds will be applied to the TRS-ActiveCare health insurance program for active educators and will help offset increases in their premiums. As a result, the announcement says, “teachers will now see an average 0% increase – or even decrease – on healthcare premiums.”

The TRS Board of Trustees, which is meeting April 28-29, shared additional information about the use of the federal funds to keep premiums from rising. 

ATPE issued a press statement Thursday calling the announcement "welcome news." ATPE Executive Director Shannon Holmes said, "As we near the end of another challenging school year, when Texas educators—like all Americans—are dealing with the impact of inflation on their family budgets, this is a true bright spot."