TCTA staff attorneys will answer members' questions about contract renewals and review the new rules regarding contract abandonment during the next 30-minute Tuesdays with TCTA webinar at 6 p.m. CST on March 1. Click here to register and submit questions.

You can view previous sessions at tcta.org/twt. If you have topics you'd like covered in the future, please email communications@tcta.org.

During the third special session of the Texas Legislature, lawmakers approved an appropriation of $286 million to the TRS health programs. The new funding was designed to help TRS-Care and TRS-ActiveCare offset unexpected expenses due to COVID-19. 

At its Feb. 17 meeting, the TRS Board of Trustees announced the TRS-Care health insurance premiums will not increase, and the additional funding will allow TRS to make a one-time payment of $448.12 in March 2022 to TRS retirees or surviving spouses enrolled in the program. Click here for more information on the one-time payments for TRS-Care.

TRS-ActiveCare premiums will be set at the board’s April meeting.

TCTA lobby team members Paige Williams and Pamela McPeters explain what you need to know about the outlook for public education in Texas before voting in the March 1 primaries. Watch the video now and learn how teachers can make education a key issue in every session of the Texas Legislature. Early voting ends Feb. 25. Before you vote, learn more about the candidates for Texas House, Texas Senate and the State Board of Education on TCTA's election website, TexasTeachersVote.org.

A female student sued the school district and an assistant principal, alleging that they failed to adequately investigate and discipline a male student who sexually assaulted her at school. 

In the lawsuit, the student claimed the assistant principal had violated her rights to equal protection of the law by failing to investigate the assault, failing to discipline the alleged perpetrator and manifesting deliberate indifference to the sexual assault. She further alleged that the district had violated her rights under Title IX by failing to adequately protect her from gender-based harassment at school. The assistant principal and school district requested that the lawsuit be dismissed. Click here to read more.

The U.S. Department of Education is accepting applications through April 4 for the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. The program will award up to $6.6 million in new grants for five-year projects that support evidence-based research, demonstration projects, innovative strategies, and similar activities that enhance elementary and secondary schools' capacity to identify gifted and talented students and meet their unique educational needs. Click here to learn more about the program and application requirements.

The Texas Education Agency has nominated 26 Texas public schools as 2022 National Blue Ribbon School designees. Initiated by the U.S. Department of Education in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon Schools program recognizes public and private K-12 schools that have high student achievement and/or have made exemplary progress in closing achievement gaps among student subpopulations. National winners will be named in September.

We hope you'll join us for TCTA's 2022 Annual Meeting from 1 to 3 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 26, on Zoom. View the meeting agenda or register now.

Links to the meeting and other materials will be emailed to delegates and member guests beginning Feb. 21. Registration ends Feb. 24.

TicketsatWork offers TCTA members exclusive and convenient savings on products, services and experiences, from travel and entertainment to health and fitness and electronics. In honor of Employee Appreciation Day on March 4, TicketsatWork plans special limited-time offers, a big sweepstakes giveaway and more all month long. Don’t miss out on the savings! Visit TicketsatWork and click on "Become a Member" to enroll with our company code: SWTCTA.