Gov. Abbott has until Sept. 22 to sign or veto a bill; if he does not take action by that date, the bill will become law. Click here to read more.

Tutoring (or supplemental instruction) has emerged as a key strategy to attempt to mitigate learning loss among students because of COVID-19 disruptions. Some provisions of HB 4545, which requires supplemental instruction for certain students, have proven problematic in light of teacher shortages and already overwhelmed staff.

There are efforts underway to help districts find tutors to meet the HB 4545 requirements. SB 1356 created a tutoring program involving nonprofit teacher organizations, primarily the Texas Retired Teachers Association, to provide supplemental instruction to K-12 students on an individual or small-group basis. Tutors must be active or retired teachers and apply for the position in a manner specified by the organization, and they must note in their application whether they intend to tutor for free or for compensation, and whether they will tutor in person, online or both. Retirees participating in the tutoring program are not subject to the employment after retirement time limitations if employed after the bill’s effective date, June 16, 2021. In conjunction with this, TEA created the Vetted Texas Tutor Corps, which consists of two parts: a list of TEA-approved tutor providers and TEA-subsidized tutoring supports.

According to TEA, districts can use local federal COVID-19 relief funds for tutoring that meets the requirements of supplemental instruction/tutoring in HB 4545. Additionally, districts may use federal Title I funds and state compensatory education funds for tutoring required by HB 4545.

HB 233, a bill that would have provided some relief to districts and teachers implementing the provisions of HB 4545, did not pass during the second special session. Read more in next issue of The Classroom Teacher magazine, which will be mailed to members in mid-September. 

It's been a challenging start to the school year, with COVID-19 cases surging due to the delta variant. More classrooms began quarantining this week and at least five more districts ordered temporary closures to disinfect and prevent mass outbreaks of COVID-19.

Districts on Aug. 29 reported 27,353 positive COVID-19 cases among students, according to the latest data on the state's COVID-19 tracker. That number was at 5,167 on Aug. 15 — a 429% jump in the past two weeks. There were 4,447 positive cases among educators on the Aug. 29 report, up nearly 57% from 2,834 cases on Aug. 15.

Our thoughts are with the Connally ISD and Belton ISD communities where three teachers who tested positive for COVID-19 died this week.

TEA reminded districts that they can enroll in the K-12 COVID-19 testing program, which provides test kits for use by staff and students with parental consent. You can find more guidance in TCTA's COVID-19 FAQs for 2021-22. This week, we:

Launching a Special Education Parent-Teacher Organization that supports parents of children with disabilities, securing financial sponsorships to provide scholarships, creating a foundation to provide grants for livestock projects, and taking free professional photos of a local school’s special events — these are just a few of the volunteer activities performed by the 15 recipients of the 2021 Heroes for Children Awards sponsored by the State Board of Education. Click here to read more about this year's recipients.

Invite your colleagues to join TCTA and earn $25 for every two eligible first-time active members you recruit with our Take 2/Make $25 program.