Topic: Policy

SBOE approves ‘streamlined’ curriculum standards

Publish Date: November 17, 2018

Today, the SBOE unanimously approved “streamlined” Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). These are the standards teachers must use for lesson planning and test preparation, and could eventually result in instructional materials changes. This streamlining effort was initiated to address the common compliant that there are too many TEKS standards and not enough time for teachers to provide the necessary...

School Finance Commission hears state of education funding, expenditure recommendations

Publish Date: November 17, 2018

The Texas Commission on Public School Finance's Revenues Working Group met Tuesday to hear the current state of public education funding in Texas and review recommendations from the Commission's Expenditures Working Group--a group of commission members tasked with recommendations for changes on how public education money is spent. On the funding front, Education Commissioner Mike Morath outlined that education spending...

Publish Date: November 13, 2018 Read More

Virtual schools face investigation after reports on poor performance, companies profiting

Publish Date: October 24, 2018

Two U.S. Senators, Democratic Sens. Patty Murray (Washington) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), have recently called on the Government Accountability Office to launch an investigation into the practices and policies of virtual charter schools. The request came on the same day the Center for American Progress released Profit Before Kids: An Analysis of the Performance and Financial Practices of For-Profit, Virtual Charter Schools,...

Publish Date: October 5, 2018 Read More

School finance commission working group recommends allotments for dyslexia, early childhood ed

Publish Date: October 5, 2018

A welcomed improvement to the school finance system would be the creation of a dyslexia allotment to help districts properly serve students receiving “Section 504” service (a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the Rehabilitation Act receives services and accommodations needed to successfully learn). Currently, districts do not receive direct funding to support students...

More on school finance bilingual funding recommendations

Publish Date: October 3, 2018

We’re continuing our deeper dive on the Texas Commission on Public School Finance Expenditures Working Group recommendations, which propose to increase the bilingual education weight within the school finance formulas from 0.10 to 0.15, at an annual cost to the state of $15 million to $50 million. (Weights are used to determine how much funding flows to districts for different...

Publish Date: October 1, 2018 Read More

School funding highlighted in finance commission meetings, controversy over transfers to permanent school fund

Publish Date: September 27, 2018

The Texas School Finance Commission met Tuesday to continue its work developing recommendations for public education funding. Although a final report is due from the commission, discussion Tuesday noted that there will be several more meetings of the body and its working groups through November and December. So, it's likely that we won't see final recommendations in all areas until just...

TRS Board declines to increase premiums, while Texas AFT retirees call for a ‘rollback’ of hikes and benefit cuts

Publish Date: September 21, 2018

Retiree Committee members from across the state hold a news conference at the Capitol Thursday. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas Benefits Committee met Thursday morning to discuss possible changes in benefits or premiums for TRS-Care Standard (retired plan members ineligible yet for Medicare). Although the committee could have approved a pre-scheduled $50-per-month premium increase, it chose to take no action, and...

Upcoming TRS action on retiree health-care premiums

Publish Date: September 18, 2018

Teacher Retirement System of Texas trustees will meet Thursday and Friday. On the agenda is a proposed premium increase for TRS-Care members ($50 per month for those under 65 not on Medicare). According to TRS officials, it's unlikely the trustees will raise rates, because Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has urged them not to, noting that the Legislature will provide additional funding...

Retired teachers to urge state trustees not to increase health-care premiums, and will ask Lt. Gov. for rollback of benefit cuts

Publish Date: September 18, 2018

News Conference: Thursday, 11 a.m. Teachers faced significant premium increases and benefit cuts under Lt. Dan Patrick’s control of the state Senate What: The Texas AFT Retiree Committee is in town to testify at a Teacher Retirement System Board vote on increasing premiums $50 a month for retired teachers and school employees (not yet on Medicare) starting in January, 2019....

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