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84th Session Subjects
The 84th Session will be quite similar to recent sessions in that education will be a leading issue throughout the 140 days. Issues that will be considered include, but are certainly not limited to:

  •  School finance, including the recently filed HB 654 that would establish school finance districts.
  • Funding discussions that may gravitate toward local debt issues, including the appropriate use of various financial tools such as capital appreciate bonds.
  • Proposals to help fast growing school districts by revisiting the limits established by the “50 cent debt test” that would allow those ISDs to continue to fund needed facilities.
  • Pre-kindergarten policies and funding to improve the quality of pre-kindergarten programs.
  • Proposals to reduce state-mandated testing requirements in grades 3-12 to conform to the minimum requirements in federal law.
  • A response to the funding shortfall of over $700M in TRS-Care, the state’s health insurance program for retired teachers.
  • School vouchers that would direct the use of public funds to pay private school tuition for some Texas schoolchildren.

Some lawmakers may prefer to hold off on school finance discussions until a special session that could be called by the Governor after the Texas Supreme Court’s consideration of the state’s appeal of the school funding case.

While the first day of the 84th Session is Tuesday, Jan. 13, preparation for this session began long before now with multiple Sunset Advisory hearings on the Texas Education Agency as well as House and Senate Education Committee interim hearings. The House Public Education has now published its interim report to the 84th Session (more details on that report can be found below) and the Sunset Commission presented its final staff report with commission decisions December 2014.

January 2015 Long-Range Plan Ad Hoc Committee
The Ad Hoc Committee on the Long-Range Plan for Public Education will continue to develop the process the State Board of Education (SBOE) will use as it creates a long-range plan for Texas public education and will discuss the scope of the plan during a January 27 meeting of the ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee will meet at the Hilton Austin Hotel, 500 East 4th Street, in Room 408.  This meeting coincides with the annual TASA Midwinter Conference. Per SBOE rules, no public testimony is taken at meetings of ad hoc committees.
 
At its September 2014 meeting, the SBOE established the ad hoc committee to study the viability and utility of developing a long-range plan for public education. SBOE members Donna Bahorich (R-Houston), Ruben Cortez Jr. (D-Brownsville), Martha Dominguez (D-El Paso), Pat Hardy (R-Fort Worth), Tom Maynard (R-Florence), Geraldine Miller (R-Dallas), Marisa Perez (D-San Antonio), Thomas Ratliff (R-Mt. Pleasant), and Marty Rowley (R-Amarillo) make up the committee. This group is developing the scope and work plan for the creation of a long-range plan. The Committee on School Initiatives, as outlined in the board’s operating rules, would oversee the creation of the actual plan. 
 
The Ad Hoc Committee on the Long-Range Plan will present its findings and recommendations to the SBOE at the April 2015 board meeting.  The SBOE will begin creating the long-range plan in the summer of 2015, after the 84th regular session of the Texas Legislature has ended. The target date for completion and implementation of the plan is January 2016.
 
State Board of Education – Meeting February 11-13
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the SBOE will take place in Austin at the William B. Travis building from February 11 through 13.
 
House Public Education Interim Report – 84th
The House Committee on Human Services has published their Interim Report to the 84th Legislature. See below for interim charges assigned to the committee and recommendations related to those charges:
 
Charge I – HB 5 (83R) – Monitor the implementation of HB 5 (83R) and report on recommendations for improvement. Work with the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education, and public and higher education stakeholders to ensure the creation of additional rigorous mathematics and science courses needed to address the current and projected needs of the state's workforce.
 
Recommendations:

  • Maintain the framework and structure of House Bill 5 to ensure stability in the system for students and districts.
  • Expand opportunities for districts to offer academic advising and counseling to middle and high school students to ensure students and parents have the opportunity to best pursue their postsecondary goals.
  • Explore opportunities to create incentives for collaborations between public education, higher education and workforce at the local level.

 
Charge II – Student Achievement – Explore innovative, research-based options for improving student achievement beyond standardized test scores. Evaluate standards for effective campus management as well as teacher preparation, certification, and training. Review current teacher evaluation tools and instructional methods, such as project-based learning, and recommend any improvements that would promote improved student achievement. Engage stakeholders on how to recruit and retain more of our "best and brightest" into the teaching profession.

Recommendations:

  • Continue to monitor implementation of T-TESS to ensure alignment with legislative goals for education.

 
Charge III – School Board Governance – Solicit input from leading authorities on the traits and characteristics of good governance, effective checks and balances between the board and administration and the effective relationship between a board and the superintendent. Review current oversight authority by the Texas Education Agency over school board policies on governance. Make recommendations on trustee training, potential sanctions, and means of grievances, as well as recommendations on whether the role of trustee or superintendent needs to be more clearly defined.
 
Recommendations

  • Consider a mechanism for the removal of misbehaving school board members not acting in the best interest of the district.
  • Consider penalties for school board members not completing their required training.

 
Charge IV – Underperforming Schools – Review successful strategies and methods that have improved student achievement at chronically underperforming schools. Identify alternatives that could be offered to current students who are attending these schools and determine how to turn these schools around. Identify the benefits and concerns with alternative governance of underperforming schools.
 
Recommendations:

  • Ensure that efforts designed to improve the performance of underperforming schools are comprehensive and supported adequately by state policy.
  • Ensure that alternative governance structures do not preclude other options for turnaround and provide an opportunity for the public to participate in the oversight of the school.

 
Charge V – TEKS – Review the broad scope and breadth of the current TEKS in the tested grades, including the format, testing calendar, and the limitation on instructional days available. Recommend options to streamline the assessment of TEKS and focus on core concepts. Review current federal testing requirements in grades 3-8 to determine if testing relief is possible.
 
Recommendations

  • Consider ways to make state assessments more meaningful and useful for students, parents and educators.

 
Charge VI – Harris County Department of Education – Examine the role of the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) in serving school districts. Review the programs and services of HCDE, specifically the department’s ability to assist school districts to operate more efficiently. Report any costs or savings the HCDE provides districts and taxpayers. Make recommendations to improve the operation of the HCDE.
 
Recommendations

  • Continue to periodically review Harris County Department of Education and Dallas County Schools to confirm that they continue to meet the needs of their counties.

 
Charge VII – Bond Issuance – Review the state regulatory and administrative systems related to public school bond issuances. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Investments and
Financial Services)
 
No Recommendations
 
Charge VIII – School Discipline – Study the impact of SB 393 (83R) and SB 1114 (83R). Assess the impact of school discipline and school-based policing on referrals to the municipal, justice, and juvenile courts, and identify judicial policies or initiatives designed to reduce referrals without having a negative impact on school safety. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Corrections)
 
Recommendations

  • Create mechanisms for engaging parents in the school disciplinary process especially for repeat offenders.
  • Continue to monitor the impact of the bills on school safety.

 
Charge IX – Implementation of 83rd Legislation – Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should:
consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
 
No Recommendations