On Thursday, Democrats pushed members of the House to restore education funding when the House hears HB 10 on Feb. 21st, the first supplemental bill being considered in the session. HB 10 pays a hefty $4.5 billion Medicaid bill. The bill also gives $630 million to the Foundation School Program for the last month of the biennium. Republican leaders say supplemental funding bills for education could be on the floor in 5-6 weeks.
Legislation continues to be rolled out to reform education. TEA Commissioner Williams weighed in on STAAR and suggested that 8-10 was the number of ideal tests students should pass to graduate. Commissioner of Higher Education Paredes warned that if Texas loosened education standards, students will not be college-ready.
Both House and Senate Education Committees will consider assessment, accountability and graduation requirement reform in hearings on Tuesday of next week.
News of the Week
Texas Educators Unite Against STAAR Exams
Four North Texas area superintendents met in Justin, Texas, at Northwest ISD offices Wednesday to speak out against the standardized tests, what they call “high-stakes testing” in public schools.
Senators to Vote on Education Board Leader’s Nomination
During the hearing, Cargill emphasized her commitment to fairness. Under her tenure, she said, the at-times controversial board has “focused on the children” and avoided distractions.
Existing School Transfer Program is Underused
A scholarship to help students trapped in failing public schools attend another of their choice is near the top of the legislative agenda for top Republican leaders. But Texas has a similar existing program, and it is dramatically underused.
Democrats file resolution on school finance, House doesn’t vote on it
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D- San Antonio, filed House Resolution 408 that would hurry up the debate on school funding in the wake of last week’s court ruling declaring the funding system unconstitutional. There was no vote. Democrats want to act now, but Republicans would prefer to wait until court appeals are finished.
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Industry leaders cheer vocational training bill
Industry leaders lined up Tuesday to praise a high-profile bill in the state Senate designed to give high school students more options in vocational training, saying it will make it easier to find qualified Texans for well-paying technical jobs that don’t necessarily require college degrees.
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EDITORIAL: School finance needs same urgency as testing from Legislature
On the issue of standardized tests, lawmakers have admirably stepped up. They have heard the complaints of parents and teachers about too many tests in general and too many tests that don’t measure the right things.
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DAN PATRICK: Let’s prepare Texas students for the technology age
For nearly two decades, the debate over how to improve Texas schools has largely been a battle between voucher proponents and advocates for more funding. Meanwhile, other states have developed new education models that are producing higher-achieving students nationwide. Texas must move past this old, narrow debate and implement the best thinking from around the country to dramatically improve our schools.
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Texas School Finance Fight Flares
That interaction betrayed how Texas Democrats are laying the ground work to make public school funding a major issue this legislative session, and how they hope to set Republicans up for some potentially embarrassing votes that can be used against them in 2014.
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HISD eyes $12 million for magnet funds
The Houston ISD is expected to apply for $12 million in federal funding to start eight new magnet programs across the district and in neighboring North Forest.
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Hundreds gather for multi-district rally in support of Texas schools
Hundreds of parents, educators and students gathered at Grapevine High School Thursday night for a multi-district rally in support of Texas schools
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Local districts consider tax swaps with voter approval to qualify for more state funding
With first draft state budgets adding minimal funding for public education, local school districts are looking for more creative options to qualify for state aid.
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David Simpson and Democrats Agree: Fix School Finance Now
As House Democrats made their play for more school funding Monday afternoon, an unlikely ally of sorts roamed the chamber among them: State Rep. David Simpson.
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Handicapping the High Court on School Finance
Dietz’s oral ruling, delivered from the bench immediately after the state finished its closing arguments, will be followed by a detailed written decision in four to six weeks. At that point the state plans to appeal — most likely to the Texas Supreme Court, though it could also choose a slower trek through Austin’s 3rd Court of Appeals first. Opting for the more circuitous route could be advantageous depending on timing.
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Texas school accountability reform meetings today in El Paso
A statewide, nonpartisan organization trying to overhaul Texas’ standardized tests will have meetings in El Paso today about how the community can push for reform of the public school accountability system.
Texas Education Agency works to improve scrutiny of charter school applications
With the next round of charter applications due Feb. 28, the Texas Education Agency added on its website this caveat: “An application must accurately describe an education program that is unique to the applicant. An application that plagiarizes or copies other application(s) will be presumed to not meet this standard.”
At Senate Hearing, Donna Campbell Misses A Link or Two
Campbell, the San Antonio Republican and tea party-backed neophyte who upset long-serving Sen. Jeff Wentworth in a 2012 primary runoff, seemed genuinely baffled to learn that Texas students don’t already learn creationism in class.
High school graduation proposals prompt warning
A surge of bills seeking to loosen high school graduation requirements could end up leaving many Texas students ill-prepared for college and life beyond high school, state Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes warned Wednesday.
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Capitol Digest: Former education chair works for Pearson
Lobbyist Rob Eissler, a former state representative who chaired the House Public Education Committee, has taken on publishing and testing giant Pearson as a client, the Texas Tribune reported.
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A quick primer on Texas House’s “supplemental bills”
This year, the Texas House chief budget writer introduced a five-bill, supplemental package. It actually goes beyond mere spending, or appropriating of money: Some of the bills would undo accounting tricks and tax-collection speed ups that lawmakers approved last session. They did those things to avert making deeper spending cuts as they bridged a two-year, $27 billion budget shortfall.
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Senate panel eyes new high school graduation requirements
The minimum high school diploma in Texas would be scrapped and all high school students would choose from four new graduation plans under legislation considered Tuesday by the Senate Education Committee. All students would be required to get at least 26 credits to graduate and many students would have more elective courses to choose from in the proposed system.
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Texas education chief weighs in on testing debate
Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams told lawmakers Tuesday that he thinks the appropriate number of mandatory end-of-course exams for high schools students is between eight and 10. Most Texas students now have to pass 15 exams under state law.
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Regents grill UT’s President Powers
Regent Wallace Hall insisted on questioning Powers even though Regent Steve Hicks, chairman of the academic committee, had said he wanted to move on to another agenda item. Among other things, Hall wanted to know why Powers hadn’t hired a vice president for development, or fundraising, after the board instructed him to do so.
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