Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, speaking to senators at the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee meeting on April 1, 2026, about the fiscal year 2027 Education Trust Fund budget in the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The committee approved the $10.5 billion budget with minor changes and a vote on it is expected on Thursday. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved a $10.5 billion Education Trust Fund budget for fiscal year 2027 that largely reflects Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed budget from earlier this year. The budget , about $570 million higher (5.7%) than the current budget, includes pay raises for teachers and less money for a health insurance program for education employees than Ivey proposed. Although the total is the same as the House passed on March 14 , funds were redirected to different programs, according to Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee. GE...