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Senate Bill 313 |
Senate Author: Seliger |
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Effective: Vetoed |
House Sponsor: Aycock |
Senate Bill 313 amends the Education Code and Government Code to require the State Board of Education (SBOE) to conduct a one-time review of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in the foundation curriculum subjects and modify the TEKS to narrow the content and scope of standards and skills for the subjects at each grade level. Among other provisions, the bill changes the instructional materials allotment from an annual allotment to a biennial allotment and restricts the issuance of proclamations requesting instructional materials by the SBOE to proclamations in which the total projected cost of instructional materials does not exceed 75 percent of the total amount used to fund the instructional materials allotment for each state fiscal biennium.
Reason Given for Veto: "While Senate Bill 313 is intended to provide additional flexibility to school districts when purchasing classroom instructional materials, the bill potentially restricts the ability of the State Board of Education to address the needs of Texas classrooms. Portions of Senate Bill 313 may have merit, but serious concerns were raised about other parts of the bill. I look forward to working with the Legislature and other stakeholders to ensure this issue is vigorously evaluated before next Session."