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Legislative Priorities - 88th session - Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD

Page 1 - Summaries

• School Finance - Expand funding for additional school and mental health professionals to better identify and serve the needs of students, their caregivers, and staff.
• School Privatization - Prevent any transfer of public education funds using vouchers, savings accounts, or tax credits to private or out-of-state entities, including the unfettered expansion of virtual instruction by corporations. 
• Local Control - Provide local flexibility without caveats from state leadership and Commissioner of Education by amending and minimizing the use of statutory language “at the commissioner’s discretion.”
• State Accountability - Reduce state assessments by eliminating those not required by federal law.
• School Facilities and Bonds - Create a statewide funding mechanism to provide new facilities that accommodate student growth and to replace aging facilities that are safe and modern without placing additional debt on the community.
• Teacher Recruitment and Retention - Incentivize college students with substantial financial aid to help recruit more teachers to the field.

Page 2 - Details

School Finance

Increase the basic allotment indexed to inflation to provide an equitable distribution of funding based on student enrollment, and increase funding for student education and teacher pay, while providing automatic tax relief to taxpayers.

• Make Transition Program Funding part of the permanent Foundation School Program Allotment. Failure to do so would essentially be deemed to be an unfunded mandate in 2024-25 when Transition Funding expires.
• Increase funding to offset the costs of employee health benefits.
• Expand funding for additional school and mental health professionals to better identify and serve the needs of students, their caregivers, and staff. This includes statewide access to services and resources for all students in a school setting while not increasing the burden on teachers or school administrators with mandates.

Local Control

Provide local flexibility without caveats from state leadership and Commissioner of Education by amending and minimizing the use of statutory language “at the commissioner’s discretion”. A return to local accountability and control will strengthen the relationship between parents and local school districts currently outlined in Chapter 26 of the Texas Education Code (TEC).

• If this cannot be achieved, exempt A and B districts from accountability requirements.

School Privatization

• Prevent any transfer of public education funds using vouchers, savings accounts, or tax credits to private or out-of-state entities, including the unfettered expansion of virtual instruction by corporations.
• Prohibit the expansion of charter schools, reduce the impact charter schools and/or other education institutions receiving public money have on the state budget and local public schools by limiting funding to a rate no higher than that of local districts.
• Increase the transparency of charter schools and/or other educational institutions receiving public money by requiring them to follow the same statutes and be held to the same accountability and financial standards as traditional public schools, especially regarding enrollment and expulsion practices as well as business operations and school expenditures.

School Facilities and Bonds

Create a statewide funding mechanism to provide new facilities that accommodate student growth and to replace aging facilities that are safe and modern without placing additional debt on the community.

• If this cannot be achieved, eliminate the required ballot language, “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE”, as it discourages the use of bonds by implying inaccurate information regarding property tax increases and could be considered electioneering.

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

• Incentivize college students with substantial financial aid to help recruit more teachers to the field.
• Increase state funding to shore up teacher salaries in order to retain teachers, allowing school districts local control without the constraints of the Teacher Incentive Allotment.

State Accountability

Reduce state assessments by eliminating those not required by federal law. When TEA makes any changes to the state testing/accountability program, allow for a one-year grace period.

• Remove the high stakes aspect of the system on students and teachers.
• Remove A-F Ratings.
• Reduce testing time.
• Prohibit standardized tests from serving as the primary indicator of school and student performance.
• Create additional locally determined non-high-stakes accountability alternatives.