BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center

C.S.H.B. 1178

89R33363 PRL-D

By: Cunningham et al. (Campbell)

 

Education K-16

 

5/25/2025

 

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Texas continues to face a persistent and alarming shortage of certified educators. A 2024 study by The University of Texas College of Education revealed that half of newly hired teachers in the 2023�2024 school year were uncertified, with similar findings echoed by E3 Alliance. This crisis is particularly detrimental in core subjects such as reading, math, and science, where instructional quality directly influences student achievement and long-term educational outcomes.


Although many qualified educators from other states are willing to help fill the gap, the current certification process in Texas presents significant barriers. These include redundant testing requirements, costly application fees, and approval processes that can extend up to a year�discouraging many from even applying. This has left Texas classrooms without access to certified professionals who could otherwise contribute immediately to student learning.

This legislation establishes an expedited pathway for temporary certification of qualified out-of-state teachers, aiming to mitigate teacher turnover and reliance on uncertified staff by providing school districts with faster access to credentialed educators, contingent upon background checks and continued oversight, thereby promoting a qualified and stable educator workforce without compromising certification standards or student safety. 


H.B. 1178, authored by Representative Cunningham, seeks to streamline the process by which qualified out-of-state educators may begin teaching. Specifically, the bill:

 

�         Requires the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to establish and immediately issue a one-year temporary teaching certificate to applicants who:

�         Hold a valid, non-temporary teaching credential in another U.S. state; and

�         Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

�         Allows SBEC to rescind the temporary certificate if the applicant is later found not to meet the criteria upon full credential review.

�         Provides a three-year temporary certificate for educators who are spouses of active-duty U.S. military service members, aligning with the average length of deployment.

�         Prohibits renewal or reissuance of the temporary certificate to ensure it remains a short-term, transitional measure while full certification is pursued.

 

C.S.H.B. 1178 removes the redundant word "unexpired" for clarity, a change agreed upon with the Texas Education Agency.

 

C.S.H.B. 1178 amends current law relating to the creation of a temporary educator certificate for educators certified by other states.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the State Board for Educator Certification in SECTION 3 of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Education Code, by adding Section 21.0521, as follows:

 

Sec. 21.0521. TEMPORARY CERTIFICATION OF EDUCATORS FROM OUTSIDE THIS STATE. (a) Requires the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to:

 

(1) establish a temporary certificate for educators certified by other states;� and

 

(2) immediately issue a certificate described by Subdivision (1) to a person who applies for a certificate issued under Section 21.052 (Certification of Educators From Outside the State).

 

(b) Authorizes SBEC to rescind a temporary certificate issued to a person under this section if SBEC determines as a result of a review of the person's credentials that the person does not meet the eligibility requirements under Subsection (c).

 

(c) Requires a person, to be eligible for a temporary certificate issued under this section, to hold a valid non-temporary certificate or similar credential in another state that qualifies the person to be employed as an educator in that state and hold a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education that is, and at the time the person received the degree was, accredited.

 

(d) Provides that, except as provided by Subsection (e), a temporary certificate issued under this section expires on the earlier of the first anniversary of the date the certificate was issued or the date the person is issued a certificate under Section 21.052.

 

(e) Provides that a temporary certificate issued under this section to an educator who is the spouse of a person serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, as those terms are defined by Section 55.001 (Definitions), Occupations Code, expires on the third anniversary of the date the certificate was issued or a later date specified by SBEC rule.

 

(f) Prohibits a temporary certificate issued under this section from being reissued or renewed.

 

SECTION 2. Repealers: Sections 21.052(c) (relating to authorizing SBEC to issue a temporary certificate to an educator who holds certain credentials) and (d) (relating to prohibiting a temporary certificate issued under Subsection (c) to a certain educator from expiring before a certain date), Occupations Code.

 

Repealers: Sections 21.052(d-1) (relating to prohibiting a temporary certificate issued under Subsection (c) to a certain educator from expiring before a certain date) and (e) (relating to requiring a certain educator to perform satisfactorily on a certain examination), Occupations Code.

 

SECTION 3. Requires SBEC, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, to adopt rules necessary to implement Section 21.0521, Education Code, as added by this Act.

 

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.