The Senate passed its version of the $6.6 billion Education Trust Fund (ETF) budget Thursday. The measure will likely go to a conference committee to reconcile differences with the House-passed version. 

The Senate ETF budget includes $5 million for Career Tech Operations and Management and $5.4 million for the Career Tech Initiative and other agricultural education programs. Funding for rural health programs and the Alabama Agricultural Land Grant Alliance was maintained. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station would receive slight increases under the plan.

The budget, which passed the Senate 29-0, includes a 2.5 percent pay raise for teachers.