Sen. Brandon Creighton filed a bill Tuesday aimed at increasing pay for Texas teachers. More experienced teachers could get a bump of up to $10,000.

Conroe, comes as Texas educators have left the teaching profession in droves and the state has increased its reliance on instructors who lack formal classroom training. Gov. Greg Abbott declared teacher pay an “emergency item” earlier this month,

A Texas Senate committee gave unanimous approval Thursday to a bill giving across-the-board pay raises for public school teachers, the first step forward for a top goal of lawmakers in both political parties.

The Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16 approved a bill that would provide pay increases for teachers in public schools.