LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS

SENATE

The Senate Education K-16 Committee had a hearing on Tuesday to hear just three bills and voted them all out of committee on the same day:

• SB 10 requires public schools to display a copy of the ten commandments in every classroom, if the posters, or funds for the purchase of posters, are donated to the school. The bill also allows, but does not require, public schools to purchase posters to display the ten commandments with district funds.
• SB 11 requires the board of trustees to take a record vote on a policy to designate a period of prayer and reading the bible or other religious text at every campus and requires the policy to specify that only employees who have provided written consent or students whose parents have provided written consent may participate. It specifies that the designated time may not substitute for instructional time and may be before school and prohibits the prayer and reading of the bible or other religious text from occurring over the PA system.
• SB 569, outlines provisions for the implementation and regulation of virtual and hybrid education in Texas public schools. The bill:
  • Repeals the State Virtual Schools Network and replaces it with the ability for schools to provide hybrid or virtual courses, including full-time programs of hybrid or virtual courses
  • Requires school districts to allow students enrolled in full-time or hybrid courses or programs to participate in extracurricular and UIL activities
  • Provides funding for students enrolled in hybrid or virtual courses or programs in the same manner as if the student was attending in-person courses full-time
  • Prohibits school districts from requiring classroom teachers to provide virtual and in-person instruction for a course simultaneously, subject to waivers that can be issued by the Commissioner
  • Requires any teacher providing instruction in a virtual or hybrid course to receive appropriate professional development or be determined by the school district to have sufficient experience that such professional development is unnecessary
  • Allows school districts to charge tuition and fees for out-of-state students or students who are not enrolled in the district to receive a virtual or hybrid course
  • Allows school districts to create virtual or hybrid campuses to provide full-time programs and sets requirements for such campuses
  • Sets specific requirements for student eligibility to enroll in virtual or hybrid programs
  • Requires school districts to consider the appropriateness and feasibility of enrolling a student in a virtual or hybrid program or campus as an alternative to expulsion except in the case of certain violent offenses

They also voted out SB 13, which they heard last week. SB 13 establishes provisions related to school libraries. Read a full summary here.

The Senate Finance committee also heard and approved SB 260 which doubles the school safety allotment.

HOUSE

This past week, the House Public Education Committee had two hearings solely dedicated to the omnibus school finance bill, HB 2 in which they heard over 14 hours of testimony. They expect to make changes to the bill and pass it out of committee on March 18.

BY

THE
NUMBERS

• 6,206 total bills filed

• 1,092 public education bills filed

• 125 bills related to property tax

• 116 bills related to school district governance

• 87 bills related to school finance

Bills are prioritized based on the expected impact to the district or the level of public attention garnered by the bill, not based on the preferences of the district. High priority bills are either a state leadership priority, related to a Plano ISD legislative priority, would require significant resources to implement a change in district policy, practice, or procedures, or would otherwise significantly impact the district.

CAPITOL "TEA"

With major school finance bills, such as HB 2, the legislature produces “runs” or calculations of all the financial changes in the proposed legislation that adds up what each district would receive as a result of all the financial changes in the bill. Some have criticized the legislature for not providing these runs with HB 2 yet, but it is important to remember that it is still very early in the process, and the bill will likely undergo many changes. In past sessions, runs for school finance bills have been provided much later in the session when the bill is closer to its final version.

UPCOMING HEARINGS

On Monday, HB 195, which attempts to improve tax transparency by requiring the tax assessor collector to post on its website information showing how much of the local tax collected is being paid in recapture, will be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee. Also Monday, SB 875, which makes prohibited electioneering by a trustee or Superintendent a Class A misdemeanor, will be heard in the Senate State Affairs Committee.

On Tuesday, HB 3, the House’s version of an ESA bill, will be heard in the House Public Education Committee and several other major House priority bills, including HB 6 and possibly HB 4 are expected to be heard in House Public Education on March 18.

Watch the Texas House committee hearings here.

While the Senate Education K-16 Committee has not yet posted a notice for a hearing next week, we expect them to meet on Tuesday or Thursday. We also expect SB 1924 which allows for the citation of students for certain school offenses, and SB 1925 which increases the ability of school districts to file truancy complaints, to be scheduled for the hearing next week.

Watch the Texas Senate committee hearings here.

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