Take a trip to TEA's HB 3 Website
Make sure that you are regularly checking TEA's  HB 3 website , which contains all the information TEA has available regarding House Bill 3.


School Transportation Funding
This week, TEA posted information regarding transportation funding. They covered the change to funding on a per mile basis, rather than funding according to linear density, and how this change ended the disincentive for districts to provide transportation to some students before. This video and written guidance also address the specifics of providing transportation for students to dual credit, CTE, and work-based learning opportunities. And the Agency also addressed the fact that recapture districts will now benefit from transportation funding under HB 3. For more details, please see:




Allotment Advisory Committees
The other information TEA recently made available to districts is in regards to two advisory committees called for by HB 3. You can view the list of names of those appointed to the two committees via the links below:



2019 Election Results
The November 2019 election has come and gone. As was expected, state turnout was pretty low, with only 12% of registered voters casting ballots. That number is higher than the last time the state had an election where the only statewide measures were constitutional amendments (turnout was 6% in 2017), but certainly nowhere close to the 59% turnout experienced for the last presidential election in 2016 or the 53% turnout from the November 2018 election.

Texas Constitutional Amendments
All but one of the proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution were adopted, and that included the approval of the amendment that will allow for twice the amount of funding to be added to the Available School Fund as well as the amendment that bans a state income tax (without another change to the Constitution). Other amendments that were also approved by voters included funding from the Economic Stabilization Fund for flood mitigation efforts and the allowance for temporary tax breaks for those with property damaged in declared disaster areas.

School District Elections
School district elections once again saw widespread support statewide from voters, with 81% of the 63 districts with bond propositions on the ballot receiving approval from voters. That percentage is right on track with the election results from the previous two November election cycles. In 2018, 83% of the 46 propositions passed, and in 2017, 79% of the 57 propositions were approved. Twelve Coalition districts received approval from local voters for bond propositions, and Sunnyvale ISD, the only district in the state allowed to conduct a Tax Ratification Election this election cycle, won approval from voters in that community.

Texas House Seats
Finally, there were also three seats in the Texas House there were up for grabs on Tuesday due to special elections for seats that were vacant. 

  • HD 28: The Houston-area suburban seat previously occupied by former Appropriations Chairman John Zerwas (R) will be decided by a run-off election between Eliz Markowitz (D) and Gary Gates (R).
  • HD 100: The seat previously occupied by now Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson (D) will be decided by a run-off election between Democrats Lorraine Birabil and James Armstrong.
  • HD 148: The Houston seat previously occupied by Jessica Farrar (D) will be decided by a run-off election between Anna Eastman (D) and Luis La Rotta (R).

Governor Abbott has until December 14 to set the date for those run-off elections.

With the 2019 elections all but behind us, filing for the 2020 elections begins on Saturday and the March Primary Election is only 118 days away.
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