The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin on Dec. 4 and 5 for a lengthy agenda. Last week we reported on the election of new board officers and the update on the development of the new Texas-specific certification exam. This week provides a deeper dive into their discussions regarding educator preparation programs and the impacts of House Bill 2 plus some educator discipline rules.
Educator Discipline
Hotline readers will remember that in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk, some Texas legislators doxxed and called for the firing of educators who they claimed were celebrating the death of this controversial personality. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) received roughly 350 complaints in what Texas AFT has referred to as a witch hunt. At the SBEC meeting, staff announced that 280 of these complaints had been dismissed but declined to provide more detail into these ongoing inquiries.
The investigations are based on an alleged violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics (Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 247), which is the set of rules that address the legislative requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 12 and SB 571. These bills require the SBEC to establish new definitions in Ch. 247 related to inappropriate communications and appropriate boundaries. After discussion in September, TEA staff did present draft definitions to meet these statutory requirements. However, the agency also took the opportunity to present a new standard of conduct:
Standard 1.14. The educator shall not promote, celebrate, or encourage illegal conduct.
This suggested language carries obvious concerns for the free speech protection of educators. The new standard, along with the definitions mentioned above, will be the focus of continued stakeholder engagement.
There are also ongoing concerns related to the temporary suspension process called for by SB 571. Though some factors are requirements of the legislation, such as the arrest of an educator for certain offenses, there is opportunity to provide input on the definition of imminent threat within the disciplinary rules. Texas AFT and its legal partners have been fully engaged in stakeholder discussions on these rule chapters and will continue to provide feedback to TEA as it brings these rules to proposal at the February SBEC meeting.
Subcommittee Named to Review National Board Certification
As required by HB 2, National Board Certification (NBC) must be reviewed by the SBEC for continued approval as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). TEA staff shared that they will be hiring reviewers to determine whether this certification meets the requirements of Texas law including all the factors of the suitability rubric established for the instructional materials review and adoption (IMRA) process. The board established a four-person subcommittee to be chaired by teacher member Bobbie Lynn Weir, herself an NBC teacher, who will analyze the outcome of the review process and make a recommendation to the full board.
2025 Texas Teacher of the Year Christine Mihealsick gave persuasive testimony on her own experience going through the NBC process, noting it was the most rigorous professional development she had ever received and prepared her to meet her students’ needs in a way that even her advanced degree did not.
The board must make a determination on NBC approval as part of TIA by the statutory deadline of December 2026. We will continue to monitor the progress of this work and continue to champion this valuable training. Regardless of the outcome, Texas AFT will continue to support our members who have chosen to enter NBC preparation.
Educator Preparation
The majority of the discussion during the board meeting on both days was related to House Bill (HB) 2 and the implementation of the preparing and retaining educators through the partnership program (PREP) allotment. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, this allotment will fund five different pathways to help address teacher recruitment, preparation, and mentorship across the state. There was robust discussion on these proposed pathways for districts and educator preparation programs (EPPs) at the September meeting; staff had the opportunity to present draft rule text on three affected TAC Chapters:
- Ch. 228, requirements for educator preparation programs.
- Ch. 227, provisions for educator preparation candidates.
- Ch. 230, professional educator preparation and certification.
Texas AFT along with our partners at the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation (TCEP) were present to provide testimony on these draft rules.
A consistent theme was that some of the suggested changes were not specifically in alignment with the legislation. This was particularly relevant as Ch. 228 was heavily revised less than two years ago and EPPs have only just implemented those changes along with the major changes called for during the 2025 revision of the teacher pedagogy standards in TAC Ch. 235. There was a specific desire mentioned by more than one testifier to hew directly to statute and not establish new expectations that EPPs will have to spend time and resources implementing. For example, HB 2 requires that PREP partner EPPs ensure that their candidates complete the Texas Reading and Texas Mathematics Academies. Both of these programs are currently undergoing TEA revisions and the exact scope of change for EPPs is not yet known.
For this reason, it would be preferred that the SBEC delay implementing additional commissioner-developed trainings that are allowed but not required in the legislation. There was also significant discussion around the quality and quantity of synchronous versus asynchronous instruction allowed by an EPP. SBEC members that represent higher education expressed a preference that these definitions and delivery align more closely to already established practices in higher ed and not introduce new, potentially conflicting, criteria.
Another theme in testimony was the adherence to the spirit of the legislation to help create and maintain quality pathways into the teaching profession and opportunity to utilize those pathways. One change regarding GPA calculation (Ch. 227) for admission into alternative certification programs (ACPs) might prevent some candidates from entering a program. Another suggested change would limit the total percentage of late hires at an ACP to 5%, which might also lead to the exclusion of candidates. While we ardently support our traditional pathway into the profession, we must recognize that quality teachers will come to the profession from a variety of backgrounds. In order to ensure that every Texas student has a fully trained and certified teacher in their classroom, we must work to ensure all pathways remain open and accessible to anyone who chooses to become a teacher.
One final note concerning the PREP allotment is that though the SBEC has authority over how EPPs must construct their programs to access the available funds, the Commissioner of Education has authority over the rules that will obligate districts for their share of the funding. TEA staff shared that these rules will not be published until January. Programs and districts interested in PREP will need to monitor both SBEC and Commissioner rules to determine whether to partner to provide these certification opportunities beginning next school year.