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House Public Education met on March 7 to take up the following bills in order: HB 621 (Shaheen), HB 131 (Murr), HB 699 (Frank), HB 768 (Allen). All bills were left pending. A link to the agenda can be found here. A video of the hearing can be found here.

 

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

 

HB 621 (Shaheen), Relating to creating a temporary educator certification for certain military service members

  • Shaheen- bill helps address teacher shortage, by allowing veterans who have been honorably discharged to gain temporary teacher certificate; and allows veterans to apply years of military service toward certification requirements
  • Allows veterans who have been honorably discharged to substitute requirements of associates degree with 48 months of military service
  • For a bachelors, allows for military history to count for 60 credit hours of education
  • Veteran must meet all other certification requirements and certificate is only valid for 5 years, is not subject to renewal and can only be issued once
  • Bill requires a mentor teacher be assigned to a veteran who has been awarded a certificate
  • 25 states operate “Troops to Teachers” that helps address shortage of teachers in their state
  • Hinojosa- Once this veteran gets this certification will they have a bachelor’s degree?
    • If they want to get a bachelor’s degree, they still must meet those requirements, this is just to get certification in the state of Texas
  • Hinojosa- Does certification require a bachelor’s degree?
    • No, after the 5 years they can go get a permanent certificate; if a veteran wants to get a full bachelors degree they have to go back to a public or private institution to get that degree
  • Hinojosa- Not asking if they want to, asking for the certification will they after 5 years need to get a bachelor’s degree to be fully certified?
    • Yes, if they want to teach after the 5 years of the temporary service they have to fulfill all those requirements
  • Hinojosa- So that would require a bachelor’s degree for a certification?
    • There is some teaching that requires an associates degree, if they want to be in education long term it would require what they wish to purse
  • Hinojosa- The way I read the bill is that the temporary certification will apply to a veteran who has a bachelor’s degree but does not have to be honorable discharge, so they could be dishonorably discharged, is that the intent of you bill?
    • That is not the intent, it is a valid point; it should refer to A1 and A2; my intent is not to have a member who is dishonorably discharged to teach
  • Allen- What part of the military service prepares a veteran for teaching?
    • Its significant, the leadership skills, the complex logistics supply chain, the complexity that our veterans must deal with is a lot
  • Allen- Are those things we test for on the STAAR test?
    • Absolutely, the examples of managing a supply chain and the complexity around it, would be a part of the STAR in terms of the math component
  • Allen- Is that in the accountability system, at the end of the year the children take the test?
    • There is a very direct association between what the student will be test on with the STAAR and what that veteran can instill in that student
  • Allen- It seems to me like we are reaching for straws?
    • I respectfully disagree; I will take the veteran over 2 years of college any day
  • Allen- Are we limiting them to high school?
    • K-12

 

Jim Brennan, Texas Veteran Coalition – For

  • Saw this bill and was intrigued by it
  • We saw a lot of veterans that got out of service and their Military Occupation of Service (MOS) was in areas that required licensing, but their skills are equal to or greater than many of the people starting in that industry
  • Veterans can take test to bypass the length of other requirements needed for those jobs
  • There’s a large number of veterans who spent majority of their time in the service as instructors
  • This is a good approach to close the gap between the shortages
  • Buckley- Can you describe some of the educational requirements that our active-duty military are required to attend for their MOS?
    • If it’s a private sector job the military also has training for it, HVAC, Computer tech
  • Buckley- Are military members pursing an associate degree while they’re serving?
    • Absolutely, there’s a transition assistance program (TAP)

 

Tricia Cave, Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE) – on

  • ATPE encourages veterans to become teachers but has concerns about the lack of pedagogical training that veterans would receive before entering the classroom
  • Hinojosa- Could you elaborate on that statement?
    • In addition to the bachelors requirement, teacher trainees have to undergo significant training in order to enter the classroom so they know how to handle classroom management
  • Hinojosa- The way you read this bill; veterans would not have to go through the alternative certification to get this temporary certification?
    • The way we read this, they would not have to
  • Buckley- Currently if we have teachers in the classroom that are on a waiver, are they required to have pedagogy training?
    • As it stands right now, any teacher who’s in the classroom either has a bachelor’s in education and has gone through that training or has gone through an alternative certification program where they are required to have that training
  • Buckley- You can be hired before you have your teacher certification, correct?
    • You can be hired through an alternative certification program on a temporary certification and be receiving that training before and during your first year of teaching
  • Buckley- What is the importance of a mentor for an alternatively certified teacher?
    • They are vital, but there is additional training that is needed to be in a classroom

Rep. Shaheen closes

  • More than happy to address the concern Rep. Hinojosa has
  • 25 other states are doing something similar and is not new ground for Texas

 

HB 621 is left pending

 

HB 131 (Murr), Relating to excused absences from public school for certain students to visit a professional’s workplace for a career investigation day

  • Talarico- this bill allows school districts to adopt excused absences for carrier investigation days
  • Allows students to visit a professional workplace and grants them 2 days for career investigation in their junior or senior year
  • HB 131 was refiled from last session

 

Rep. Talarico closes

 

HB 131 is left pending

 

HB 699 (Frank), Relating to determining the student enrollment of a public school that allows non-enrolled students to participate in University Interscholastic League activities for purposes of assigning a University Interscholastic League classification

  • Frank- Last sessions UIL bill was passed, but during rulemaking process UIL decided that any school who allowed homeschoolers to participate would be moved up one classification; effectively that meant that zeros schools would allow homeschoolers to participate
  • The TEA commissioner has veto right on rules, and for the first-time commissioner vetoed rule
  • There are 40 school that have elected to do this
  • This bill would say statutorily there is no classification change
  • This is a cleanup bill
  • Concerned If UIL has new rules change or if TEA gets a new commissioner
  • King- Is it if one student participates that changes the classification?
    • I believe the rule was if they opted in, they move up a classification
  • King- I thought classification was based on enrollment?
    • They are also based on rules on made by the UIL
  • Allen- Could you clarify about “Non enrolled”
    • Non enrolled would be the homeschoolers; this is amending the bill to say there is no UIL classification change
  • Allison- Are you saying that under your purposed bill, a homeschool student participating in a UIL activity wouldn’t be counted at all for enrollment purposes?
    • That is correct
  • Allison- What about the enrollment, the student must count for something, what if that participation moves a school up a classification?
    • That’s something we can look at, I think if it puts them up they will opt out of it
  • Allison- Why?
    • Allot of schools do a lot of things to keep from moving up a classification
  • Allison- It just seems the student should be counted, no money follows the student right?
    • Correct there is no money that follows the student, but every school can participate; from a classification standpoint every one can use or not use those kids
  • Allison- But then they will be county, that what troubles me
  • Harrison- Are you aware of a public school that has had so many homeschoolers participate in their sporting programs, would have moved them into a different classification?
    • I don’t believe so, I think the max is 5

 

Jamey Harrison, UIL – On

  • To clarify what Rep. Frank said, the rule that was passed does not automatically move a school who opts in to allowing homeschool students to participate up a conference; what it does is it applies a formula, based on the number provided by the Texas Homeschool coalition, they applied a factor of 20%, so what ever a schools enrollment figure is for 9-12 it would include an additional 20%
  • It would move a few schools up, but would not automatically move them up; that’s the rule that was passed but is not in place because of the commissioner veto
  • Currently we are not counting homeschool students at all so this bill would not change current practice
  • Dutton- UIL was not in favor of homeschoolers participate, correct?
    • UIL did not take a position; we have several constitutes groups that were opposed to it
  • Dutton- What was the purpose of the rule?
    • In our rule making members minds, they were trying to account for the additional students that a school would have access to
  • Dutton- Was the purpose really to keep homeschoolers from participating?
    • I can’t speak to what each of those 32 members thought as they voted
  • Dutton- Is it be fair to say, while UIL didn’t take a position, the majority of the members were opposed to homeschoolers participating, and after the legislature decided that homeschoolers could participate, UIL developed a rule trying to prevent them from participating?
    • I think Rep. Franks perspective of the intent is a reasonable position to take
  • Dutton- That ignores students and favors people of the UIL, is that fair to say?
    • How each of you perceive their actions is fair
  • Cody Harris- Can you take me through the legislative committee and how they are elected across the state?
    • Each conference elects 4 members, 1 from each region giving you 24 members; then there are 8 members who are appointed by the chair of the legislative council
  • Cody Harris- What is the name of the committee for UIL?
    • It’s the legislative council
  • Cody Harris- Do you think because of the name of this committee, that they are there to supersede the will of the Texas legislature that has been elected to represent all the people across the state?
    • I don’t think so, we have talked a lot with them about that; at the time there was fear of unknow and an issue of competitive equity
  • Cody Harris- The issue we have is that it seems like the intent was to bypass what the legislature instructed them to do
  • Cody Harris- What can we as a legislature do to help reinforce the authority of the legislature
    • I think that process is well underway and that there have been lessons learned here

 

Rep. Frank closes

  • The we prevent this is to put this into law
  • There is not anyone who believes that 20% of the kids in Texas are home schooled; it was a number taken from a mistake on the THSC website and extrapolated to 1M kids being homeschooled

 

HB 699 is left pending

 

HB 768 (Allen), Relating to the use of personal leave during school holidays by school district employees

  • Allen- current law does not allow public school employees to use their accrued personal leave to predetermine sate and federal holiday; meaning they don’t get paid during those days
  • Purpose of the bill is to change the law to read that the use of personal leave to supplement unpaid holidays by public school employees

 

Amanda Brownson, Texas Association of School Business Officials – against

  • Happy to work with Rep. Allen on the bill
  • Have two concerns:
    • Cost, focusing the bill more narrowly would help with that worry, members worried about the cost of the bill on local government
    • Want to make sure folks have personal days when they need them

Rep. Allen closes

 

HB 768 is left pending