STAFF REPORT
Several bills at the state legislature are of particular interest to local school districts and teacher’s groups across Texas, including one that would label failing schools with an “F” as opposed to the current “unacceptable,” and another that would provide a mechanism for gun training for teachers.
Finalizing the budget
HB1, the House of Representatives budget bill, got approval from lawmakers last week following almost 12 hours of debate. Much of the debate stemmed from the approximately 250 amendments that were attached to the bill.
The Senate version of the budget was approved previously. A final version will be hammered out by a conference committee comprised of senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle.
Saying no to vouchers
What seems to be the most important amendment to the budget bill, according to educators? Probably the one that would prevent using public school funds for so-called voucher programs. Under a voucher proposal, public school monies would be diverted from school districts to private schools, including to parents who home school their children.
But the amendment, added by Rep. Abel Herrero (D–Robstown), said that public funding flowing through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) must not go to private institutions. Herrero told his colleagues during the budget debate that the type of tax credits proposed by Senate Education Committee Chairman Sen. Dan Patrick (R–Houston) would also be covered under this amendment.
With a 107-39 vote to approve Herrero’s amendment, it seems lawmakers will not have enough support to create a voucher system this legislative session.
The final vote on the House’s version of the state budget was 135-12. The Senate already passed SB1. The budget will next head to a conference committee made up of House and Senate members where differences in the two chambers’ budgets will be worked out.
School rating system
The Senate Committee on Education voted last week to send SB 1408, sponsored by Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston), to the full Senate for a vote. Under this bill, public school districts would be graded on performance using an A-F accountability system. A similar provision in the House, which was part of a broader set of public education reforms in HB5, was approved earlier in the legislative session.
The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) and other teacher trade groups oppose the new rating system for several reasons. For example, they claim the new letter-based accountability ratings would be meaningless unless there were specific reasons for those ratings given to a particular school campus.
Teachers also opposed the letter grades because they would be condescending to parents; they feel using grades would treat parents as though they are not smart enough to understand the school performance data.
Lawmakers on the committee who opposed the bill also cautioned that labeling struggling schools as “failures” is harmful to students.
The Senate Committee on Education passed the bill 7-2. The bill is expected to go to the full Senate soon where educators predict the debate will continue about the merits of the proposed changes.
However, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams announced last week that he does not need the Legislature’s authority to implement an A–F rating system for public schools. Williams went on to say that he plans to make that change in the near future that will go into effect in 2014.
Testing and accountability
As passed by the House, HB 5 would reduce the number of end-of-course exams needed for graduation from 15 to five. The five required tests would be algebra, biology, U.S. history and tenth-grade reading and writing. The bill also would replace the current “4×4” graduation plan of four required years of English, math, science and social studies with several different paths to a diploma; the aim is to increase flexibility for students.
Hand gun training for teachers
SB 17, also by Patrick, is one of several gun bills in the legislature that would start a gun training program for teachers. Educators who are authorized by their districts to hold a concealed handgun would participate in a Department of Public Safety training program in “school safety and the protection of students.” Those employees would then be allowed to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds.
A modified version of SB 17 passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee on April 4, which scales back state funding for the training to a maximum of $1 million. That leaves the program largely dependent on donations and gifts.
CSCOPE oversight
Two other bills that made the cut last week were SB 1406 and SB 1474, both of which call for reviews of CSCOPE instructional lessons. SB 1406 by Chairman Patrick creates a State Board of Education review process similar to the current process for review of textbooks. SB 1474 by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-District 28) requires districts to solicit input from local teachers and parents before adopting curriculum management systems such as CSCOPE.
