The bill would modify the Foundation School Program (FSP) funding entitlement for charter schools related to the Small and Mid-Sized District Allotment and would provide for a new allotment per student in average daily attendance for charter schools equal to 0.04 multiplied by the basic allotment.
The bill would provide additional FSP funding to districts related to an annexation that occurs on or after June 1, 2013.
The bill would require that certain certification examination fees be waived by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).
The bill would require the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to propose rules establishing a process for identifying continuing education courses and programs that fulfill educators' continuing education requirements, including opportunities for educators to receive micro-credentials in fields of study related to the educator's certification class or digital teaching. The bill would require SBEC to engage relevant stakeholders in the development of micro-credentials related to digital teaching.
The bill would amend the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designations. A new designation, "acknowledged", would be added to existing Local Optional Teacher Designation System designations. The bill would also change the designation of national board certified teachers from "recognized" to “nationally board certified.”
The bill would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to provide technical assistance that would include providing examples of local optional teacher designation systems; establish partnerships between districts and schools; apply performance and validity standards that would be established by the Commissioner; provide centralized support for the analysis of the results of assessments; and facilitate effective communication and promotion of local optional teacher designation systems.
The bill would establish the local optional teacher designation system grant program. From funds appropriated or available, TEA would develop and administer a grant program with money and technical assistance for districts and open-enrollment charter schools to expand implementation of local optional teacher designations system and increase the number of teachers eligible for a designation. Grants that would be awarded under this section would be required to meet the needs of individual school districts and enable regional leadership capacity. The bill would allow the Commissioner to adopt rules to establish and administer the grant program.
The bill would redesign the Minimum Salary Schedule (MSS). The bill would increase the MSS and would add a clause for teachers holding a residency educator certificate as would be established by the bill in new TEC 29.905.
The bill would create the Employed Retiree Teacher Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts that employ Teacher Retirement System (TRS) retirees for the contribution amount that the district would be responsible for paying when employing a TRS retiree. The grants provided under this section may be modified by appropriation and the grant program would be established and administered by the Commissioner. The bill would repeal Section
825.4092(f) of the Government Code to allow employers to pass on surcharges to employed retirees. The bill would require TEA to provide resources, including liability insurance, for classroom teachers. From funds appropriated or otherwise available for the purpose, the agency shall contract with a third party to provide services for a classroom teacher employed under a probationary, continuing, or term contract.
From funds appropriated, the agency would be required to provide school districts with information and technical assistance regarding staffing models, scheduling, and teacher compensation models; programs that would encourage high school students to become teachers, including apprenticeships; programs that school leaders may use to establish behavior expectations while positively supporting students; and studies related to noninstructional duties for teachers and best practices for refining schedules for students and teachers.
The bill would establish the Texas Teacher Residency Partnership Program to create a teacher mentor program between schools and educator preparation programs (EPPs). TEA would be required to provide technical assistance and support to participating schools and EPPs.
The bill would amend TEC 29.153(b) to include children of classroom teachers as eligible for prekindergarten in the school district that offers a prekindergarten class under this section.
The bill would reduce district contributions to the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and School for the Deaf (TSD) for districts who do not retain all of their maintenance and operations property taxes due to paying recapture. The Commissioner would determine the total amount that the TSBVI and TSD would have received from school districts in accordance with this section if the section had not been amended and provide the amount to TSBVI and TSD.
The bill would reduce the required number of days from 180 to 175 to provide the required minimum number of minutes of operational and instruction time to receive FSP funding for additional days of attendance.
The bill would increase the basic allotment from $6,160 to $6,210 in fiscal year 2024 and would require districts to use 50 percent of their certain revenue increases to provide compensation increases for full-time classroom teachers.
The bill would increase the weights for the Small and Mid-sized Allotment under the FSP.
The bill would establish the Special Education Full Individual and Initial Evaluation allotment which would provide districts with $500, or a greater amount by appropriation, for each student for whom the district conducts a full individual and initial evaluation. The bill would also increase the College, Career and Military Readiness Outcomes Bonus for special education students from $2,000 to $4,000.
The bill would amend the Fast Growth Allotment to remove the statewide cap.
The bill would amend the associated allotment amounts under the TIA.
The bill would amend the mentor allotment to require training be provided to mentor teachers and establishes the allotment at $2,000 for each teacher with less than two years experience. The allotment would be capped at 40 teachers per school district, or by appropriation. The bill would require the agency to oversee the development of a statewide mentor training, which would be rolled out through Education Service Centers (ESCs).
The bill would also increase the transportation allotment for special education students to the sum of $1.13.
The bill would establish the Residency Partnership Allotment for the Texas Teacher Residency Partnership Program. For each partnership resident employed at the district in a residency position under Subchapter R, Ch. 21, the district would be entitled to an allotment equal to the base amount of $22,000 increased by the high needs and rural factor, as determined under Subsection (c), to an amount not to exceed $42,000. Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) would be entitled to the allotment under this section. The bill would also require districts to reimburse teachers for certification fees incurred while obtaining special education and bilingual certification
The bill would establish the Advanced Mathematics Pathway Allotment at $10 per eligible high school student and an additional weight of 0.1 multiplied by the basic allotment for eligible students in a small or midsized school district.
The bill would establish the Salary Transition Allotment. In fiscal years 2024-26, a school district would be entitled to an annual allotment equal to the difference between the change in average MSS employee compensation from fiscal year 2022 to 2023 and a second amount equal to the difference between average maintenance and operations (M&O) revenue per MSS employee under the bill and average M&O revenue per MSS employee the district would have received under the bill using prior law Basic Allotment and Small and Midsize Allotment values.. The allotment provided under this section would decrease over time, to two-thirds in fiscal year 2027, one-third in fiscal year 2028, and zero in fiscal year 2029.
The bill's provisions would allow day placement program funding, with regional education service centers entitled to an allotment for each qualifying day placement program made available in partnership with an LEA. The bill would also establish the Parent-Directed Services for Students Receiving Special Education Services Grant.
The bill would repeal the expiration of the Grant Program Providing Training in Dyslexia for Teachers and Staff.
The bill would transition special education funding in the basic allotment to a tier of intensity of service model. The bill would provide for a special education service group allotment under which the commissioner would establish four service groups for funding determinations. The bill would also allow for the transition of special education funding models to ensure maintenance of state financial support and would require TEA to provide related technical assistance to LEAs.
The bill would increase the weights for the Compensatory Education Allotment under the FSP.
The bill would add prekindergarten to the Early Education Allotment under the FSP.
The bill would establish the education savings account program to be administered by the Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA). The program fund would be an account in the General Revenue Fund. This account would consist of transfers, appropriations, gifts, grants, and donations, and any other money available for the purpose of the program.
The CPA would set eligibility requirements for a selection of organizations defined as Certified Educational Assistance Organizations (CEAOs). The bill would require the CPA to make payments from the program fund account to each CEAO for deposit into participating child's account.
This legislation would create or recreate a dedicated account in the General Revenue Fund, create or recreate a fund either in, with, or outside of the Treasury, or dedicate or rededicate a revenue source. The Legislature consolidated funds into the General Revenue Fund as of August 31, 1993 and eliminated all applicable statutory revenue dedications as of August 31, 1995. Each subsequent Legislature has enacted a funds consolidation bill. The dedication included in this bill, unless created by a constitutional amendment, would be subject to funds consolidation review by the current Legislature.
The bill would define CEAO and set eligibility requirements for the selection of such organizations by the Comptroller. The Comptroller could certify one or more such organizations to support the administration of the program.
The bill would set program eligibility requirements for children and educational services providers and provide a list of approved education-related expenses on which program funds could be spent.
The total annual payments to each participating child's account would be $8,000. Money remaining in the child's account could be carried into the next fiscal year. Any money remaining in a child's account after it is closed would be deposited into the program fund account. A school district with student enrollment of less than 20,000 would be entitled to receive $10,000 for the first five school years a child residing in the district participates in the program.
The bill would provide a grant program, administered by TEA, to LEAs to increase the number of qualified and appropriately credentialed special education staff, to include special education teachers, paraprofessionals, evaluation personnel, ancillary instructional personnel, and related service personnel.