13 days remain in the 87th Regular Legislative Session.

The Senate's version of CSHB 1525 (Huberty/Taylor) was placed on the Senate intent calendar today and therefore could be considered by the Senate as soon as tomorrow, Wednesday, May 19.

As reported last week, CSHB 1525 includes the same changes for CTE funding and the Fast Growth School Allotment as passed by the House, but the new provisions added in the Senate threaten funding for public schools, and make the clean-up bill quite a mess. You can read our section-by-section side-by-side comparison of this Senate version compared to the version that was passed in the House.

The Senate's CSHB 1525 would place on a cap on the total Formula Transition Grant funding, which would trigger proration and funding reductions for FTG districts if the total amount required exceeds $400 million. CSHB 1525 would also allow the Commissioner to "adjust" (meaning reduce) school district entitlements to ensure state compliance with MOE and MOQ requirements in the federal legislation. Additionally, the bill would require all districts that receive federal ESSER dollars to set aside an amount from state and local M&O funding (which Taylor said would be equal to 40% of their total federal ESSER allocation) in the district's fund balance which may not be used until 2024-25 without special permission from the Commissioner to do so.

This is a matter that impacts all school districts. We are concerned that the state would be requiring local districts to supplant funding at the local level in a manner that sets up an easier road to state funding cuts for schools when the Texas Legislature convenes in 2023. Federal COVID Relief dollars should be used on top of school district funding entitlements -- not instead of.

Click here to look up contact info for your Senator. Please click on the red button below to access communications tools (such as sample messages and posts).

Yesterday, the the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) released model runs to show the estimated impact of the Senate's CSHB 1525 per-district.

As you review these LBB runs and the detailed runs specifically for your district that are available via the link below, we ask that you keep a few things in mind:

There are really only two sections of HB 1525 that are driving changes in district funding amounts shown in these models (and since these two sections are essentially the same in both the House and Senate version, you will see very little difference in the numbers for the two versions):

What is not shown in these models could be as important as what is. Specifically:

If you have any issues accessing your district's model run or if you have any questions, please contact christy@txsc.org.

In addition to what was reported above regarding expectations for the Senate to hear CSHB 1525 this week, here is what is happening in the Senate.

The Senate Education Committee will meet today, beginning at 9:00 a.m. to hear the following House bills:

The Senate Education Committee is expected to have one more public hearing (on Thursday) this session, and any other business that needs to be conducted will likely happen in impromptu hearings without public testimony.

Yesterday, the Texas Senate passed SB 2094 (Taylor). This bill is very similar to HB 4545, which was passed by the House (following a reconsideration of the vote on which the bill failed the first time). However, the big difference between the two bills is that SB 2094 includes language for an outcomes-based bonus tied to whether students who have previously failed to pass a state assessment then pass that same assessment on a subsequent attempt.

Also, the Senate Committee on State Affairs gave favorable consideration to HB 3979 (Toth/Creighton), which is the bill that would prohibit teaching and teacher training on certain matters related to certain social studies curriculum on the basis of race and sex. The bill would also prohibit a school from accepting private funding for the purpose of developing, purchasing or selecting curriculum materials, or providing teacher training for a course described by this bill for the teaching on certain matters related to race and sex. The bill will move forward for consideration by the full Senate (which has previously passed the companion bill, SB 2202).

One final public hearing of the House Public Education Committee is expected to take place today upon adjournment of the House, as they take testimony on SB 1716, which would establish a supplemental special education services and instructional materials voucher program for students enrolled in a special education program at a public school. TEA would provide up to $1,500 to parents who would direct purchases of services and materials through online accounts. The bill is expected to cost approximately $30 million each year.

SB 1365 (Bettencourt/Huberty) is on the House calendar for Thursday, May 20. This is the bill that relates to school district governance, accountability, and fiscal management that greatly broadens the Commissioner's authority. You may remember the companion to this bill, HB 3270 (Dutton), which died on a point of order in the House.

The House Public Education Committee met yesterday and voted the following nine bills out of committee.

We hope you can join us as we rehash the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 87th Irregular Session at our Post-Legislative Workshop on Wednesday, June 9, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in Dallas at the DoubleTree by Dallas Love Field.

You can register via the link below to attend in person and also find the info you need to make hotel reservations for a discounted rate if you plan to stay overnight. The deadline for the discounted rate on hotel rooms is May 30.

If you are not able to join us in person, but still want to join in on the fun, please click on the button below to register and attend virtually via Zoom.