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EDUCATION
89th Texas Legislative Session could see historic changes
Weimar ISD, Rice CISD and Columbus ISD are all monitoring the 89th Texas Legislative Session closely as it has been nothing short of action packed, reaching the halfway point on Monday, March 24.
The session thus far has seen the passing of 21 of the “top 40” priority bills, including a school voucher bill giving the freedom of “school choice” and a bill that would see the largest teacher pay raise in “history.” “Administration is definitely monitoring both of the bills and the specific language that is being included,” said Rice CISD Superintendent Kenny Center. “Bills usually have changes as they move from the House to the Senate and vice versa. We are closely monitoring the funding piece to see how any additional money that goes to public schools will have to be spent and we truly hope the more funding goes into teacher raises, but also into the basic allotment. In regard to the school vouchers, we will have to monitor to see if we would lose any enrollment with students going to a private school, but we believe it would be minimal.”
Both bills, SB 2 (school choice) and SB 26 (increasing teacher pay) are now in the hands of the Texas House of Representatives, who have the final say on whether to approve the passage of the two bills.
The House has also brought forth House Bill 1481, introduced by Rep. Caroline Fairly of Amarillo, in an attempt to cut out cellphone usage in schools completely, which would see students banned from using their cellphones during school hours.
According to Senate Staff Writer Richard Lee, the school choice bill, SB 2 presented by Education K-16 Committee Chair and Conroe Senator Brandon Creighton, would use “$1 billion of the $23.7 billion surplus from last session’s budget to fund around 100,000 education savings accounts.”
The bill would allow parents across the state to apply for access to state funds to pay for private education services.
Students who are homeschooled or attend a non-accredited private school would be eligible for $2,000 accounts, whereas students attending accredited private schools would be eligible for $10,000 accounts. Students with learning disabilities could qualify for an additional $1,500.
In addition to tuition, these funds could be used for other educational services, tutoring, instructional materials, or transportation. If applications exceed capacity, slots would be awarded by lottery, with 80 percent of the space reserved for students with learning disabilities or who come from families making less than 500 percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $160,000 in annual income for a family of four.
“And now we look for the House, this being the sixth time we’ve passed school choice,” said Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. “To finally step up and give this opportunity to every child in Texas.”
Another of Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency issues, SB 26 presented by Senator Creighton, would create a system where teachers automatically receive raises in their third and fifth-year teaching. Creighton said the $4.3 billion proposal represents the largest single investment in teachers in the nation.
“We can’t find another state in America that has put this much money together at one time for a teacher compensation package,” said Creighton. “We’re very, very proud and excited on behalf of our Texas teachers.”
The proposed raise would kick in next year and would give a $2,500 raise to every teacher with three years of teaching experience and $5,500 to those with five years of teaching experience. Under the bill, teachers in small districts with less than 5,000 students would get more; $5,000 and $10,000 respectively, to close the urban-rural teacher pay gap.
In regard to the proposed cell phone ban, Center says Rice CISD already have their own policies regarding cell phone usage, which sees students prohibited from cell phone usage unless provided permission and may be confiscated if not followed and returned at the end of the day for a “small fee.”
“We currently have in our student code of conduct that cell phones or electronic devices are prohibited unless provided permission by a teacher or staff member,” said Center. “These devices can be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the school day for a small fee. In the event that this bill passes, we will need to review the specific language of the bill to ensure we are meeting the requirements and provide this information to all of our stakeholders.”
In a document released by Columbus ISD containing their “legislative priorities,” key points include school finance, assessments and accountability, school safety and security and teacher recruitment and retention, with the latter aimed at supporting “increasing educator and staff compensation and improving employee retirement benefits” and increasing the “Teacher Retirement System (TRS) pension from the state” to ensure the system is appropriately and adequately funded to provide a sustainable retirement program for public education employees.
Columbus ISD Superintendent Jim Connor said the school district’s primary focus for the legislative priorities is on “resolving the issues between the CAD/Comptroller,” which has cost CISD nearly a million dollars.
“We have focused primarily on resolving the issues between the CAD/ Comptroller and achieving some type of legislation that would address this issue,” said Connor. “Columbus ISD lost over $700,000 this year, because of this dispute.”
Weimar ISD Superintendent Chase Seelke says the school district is waiting to see what happens before acting upon anything and will implement changes based on what ends up being required.
“We will just wait and see what actually happens with the bills before we worry about them,” said Seelke. “If they don’t pass nothing will change, if they do pass how we implement them will depend on what is required. The school voucher bill is not something we will implement as it would give students the option of attending a private school. I do not know if we will have students that will choose to apply for a voucher or not. I am sure there will be a few though.”
The final day of the legislative session, known as “Sine Day,” will see the 89th Texas Legislature come to an end on Monday, June 2.
“We can’t find another state in America that has put this much money together at one time for a teacher compensation package. We’re very, very proud and excited on behalf of our Texas teachers.”
Education K-16 Committee Chair and Conroe Sen. Brandon Creighton
