Hello All,
I hope many of you are enjoying your spring break and/or looking forward to your spring break next week.
A couple of updates this week:
- The Speaker announced interim charges for House Committees - copy of the public education and related education interim charges are copied below
- TEA has responded to the Governor's call to create a task force dedicated to addressing the on-going teacher shortages - more on the task force below
- The Public Education Committee sent a letter about an ADA reprieve to the Governor earlier this week; it was signed by all committee members and a copy of the letter is shared below
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Julia
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Speaker Announces Interim Charges |
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Earlier today, the Speaker of the House Announced Interim Charges (or studies) for House Committees.
In addition to the 11 charges given to the public education committee (copied below), the speaker has charged the Committee on Appropriations, Higher Education, and International Relations and Economic Development with subjects related to K12 Education:
Appropriations:
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Review the utilization by the Texas Education Agency and local school districts of federal dollars appropriated from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds made available by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law No. 116-260) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law. 117-2) to address students’ instructional loss and mental health challenges.
Higher Education:
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Review progress toward the goals of the 60x30TX plan, including institutional strategies for responding to changing workforce needs and demands, including workforce education, industry certification, and degree programs to address healthcare shortages.
- Evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the state’s teacher workforce and current practices to improve the recruitment, preparation, and retention of high-quality educators. Explore the impact of the educator preparation program regulatory environment. Make recommendations to improve educator recruitment, retention, and preparation throughout the state. (Joint study with Public Education)
Committee on International Relations and Economic Development:
- HB 3767, relating to measures to support the alignment of education and workforce development with state workforce needs, including the establishment of the Tri Agency Workforce Initiative
You can find the complete list of interim charges here. I've also coped the Public Education charges below:
Public Education:
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
-HB1525 and HB 3 (86R), relating to public school finance and public education;
-HB 4545, relating to assessment of public school students and providing
accelerated instruction;
-SB 1365, relating to public school organization, accountability, and fiscal
management;
-SB 1716, relating to supplemental special education services and instructional
materials for certain public school students;
-HB 3906 (86R), relating to the assessment of public school students, including the
development and administration of assessment instruments, and technology
permitted for use by students.
- Complete study of assigned charges related to the Texas-Mexico border issued in June 2021.
- Identify and examine efforts to ensure that parents have a meaningful role in their children’s education. Recommend necessary changes in both independent school district board and open-enrollment charter governing board governance to protect the right of parents to participate in their child’s education.
- Examine partnerships between K-12, higher education institutions, and employers that promote postsecondary and career readiness and identify current obstacles that public schools, higher education institutions, and employers face. Make recommendations to ensure career and technical education programs, internships, apprenticeships, and other opportunities are more accessible.
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Evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the state’s teacher workforce, and current practices to improve the recruitment, preparation, and retention of high-quality educators. Explore the impact of the educator preparation program regulatory environment. Make recommendations to improve educator recruitment, retention, and preparation throughout the state. (Joint charge with Committee on Higher Education)
- Study the effects of COVID-19 on K-12 learning loss and best practices that exist to address learning loss. Monitor the implementation of state and local plans to address students' achievement gaps. Make recommendations for supporting the state and local efforts to increase academic development.
- Examine the impact of COVID-19 on students' mental health, including the availability and workload of mental health professionals across the state and their role in the public school system. Make recommendations to reduce or eliminate existing barriers to providing mental health services in a traditional classroom setting or through teletherapy.
- Study the unfulfilled recommendations from the 2016 Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability. Evaluate the state’s progress on assessments and accountability and consider possible legislation to support the recommendations from the report. Study and recommend measures needed at the state level to prevent unintended consequences to students, campuses, and districts, including changes that could improve the system for students or help public schools serving a disproportionate number of educationally disadvantaged students impacted by the pandemic.
- Monitor and analyze the state policy on curriculum and instructional materials used in public schools.
- Examine the causes and contributors for chronic absenteeism in public schools and its impact on student outcomes. Consider techniques and approaches that have been utilized by public schools to identify students who are chronically absent and return these students to classrooms.
- Review the impact of investments of the Permanent School Fund by the State Board of Education in businesses and funds owned or controlled by the Russian government or Russian nationals, and determine the need for investment restrictions. Consider the impact of any proposed investment restrictions on fund performance.
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Texas Education Agency's Teacher Vacancy Task Force |
The TEA has named the members to the newly created "Teacher Vacancy Task Force." You can find the full list of members on the newly dedicated webpage here.
Huge congratulations to Superintendent Toscano for being named to the task force! I know he will represent Bexar County tremendously!
It was also announced there will be a Teacher Panel that will be created during future task force meetings.
The first date of the task force has not been announced, but of course we will follow the conversation closely.
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House Committee on Public Education Sends Letter to Governor on ADA |
The House Committee on Education sent a letter to the Governor earlier this week about proposal from Commissioner Morath on a possible ADA reprieve.
Here is the proposal that they detailed in the letter:
- Enrollment numbers for the purposes of calculating ADA should be based upon fall PEIMS snapshot data as of October 29, 2021.
- ADA should be based upon the average for school districts using the 2018-2019 numbers, with the understanding it is not a statewide average, but an average for that specific school district.
- School districts will get funded based upon current enrollment and the average ADA from 2018-2019 for the 2021-2022 school year only.
You can find a full copy of the letter, which was signed by every member of the Public Education committee, here. |
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AHISD, EISD, ECISD, FSHISD, HISD, JISD, LISD, MVISD, NEISD, NISD, RFISD, SAISD, SCUCISD, SISD, SISD, SWISD
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We are here to help:
Julia
210-279-2787
Julia@BCECTX.org
Charles
940-768-8594
Charlesluke43@gmail.com
Matt
512-826-8103
mmatthews@mcguirewoods.com
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